Al Arqm Private School
Acceptable Al Barsha, Dubai · International / other
- KHDA rating
- Acceptable
Meets minimum standards; may be on an improvement plan. Read the full report before enrolling. From the 2023–24 inspection cycle — now more than two years old. KHDA has not completed a full cycle in two consecutive years, so this rating, and every rating on every other site, is older than it looks.
- Annual fees
- AED 8,601 to 18,346 a year
Varies by year group; confirm current fees with the school. 2026–27 fees are frozen by KHDA directive.
- Curriculum
- International / other
- Established
- Founded 1990
- School transport
- Bus service available
- Location
- Al Barsha, Dubai
District-level pin for Al Barsha — use the Google Maps link for the exact gate.
We could not verify an official website for this school, so no link is shown.
Check travel time from your location
Opens live directions in Google Maps — real traffic from your own address beats any published estimate. School-run traffic peaks roughly 7–8am; test your route at drop-off time.
How far is this from another school? What the bus costs
If your children may end up at different schools, the distance that decides your mornings is the one between them, not from home to each.
In context
Its mid-range fee is about 10 per cent below the median for International / other schools in this guide (AED 15,000). It is one of 51 schools in this guide currently rated Acceptable.
These comparisons are computed from the verified data in this register, not editorial opinion.
What the inspectors said
Paraphrased from the last full DSIB inspection we could verify (2023–24 cycle) and its published record — read the complete report on the official KHDA directory. These findings are from the 2023–24 cycle and are now more than two years old. Leadership, staffing and provision can change substantially in that time — see the note below on why every rating in Dubai is older than it looks.
Strengths the inspectors named:
- One of Dubai’s longest-standing Arabic-medium schools, founded 1990 in Al Barsha 1 on the Ministry of Education curriculum — tracing back to a small Jumeirah villa school of under thirty students.
- Among the most affordable in the private sector at roughly AED 8,600 to 18,300, serving predominantly Arabic-speaking families who prioritise Arabic mastery, Islamic values and alignment with UAE national standards over international examination pathways.
- Strong personal development outcomes and genuine staff commitment, with an improving trajectory in Islamic Education and mathematics at Cycle 3.
What they asked the school to improve:
- Acceptable held consistently since 2016–17 — an improvement from Weak in earlier years, but nearly a decade without breaking through to Good, which points to structural barriers rather than a temporary dip.
- Ask what the improvement plan funds this year and who owns it for moving beyond the bottom of the acceptable range.
- An Arabic-medium MoE pathway is a different route from the British, American or IB programmes most of this register covers — understand where it leads for university entry before enrolling.
Inclusion (students of determination): Acceptable in KHDA’s official Inclusion Rating Table. Beyond that rating we have not verified a cohort figure or team structure and we are not going to guess. For an Arabic-medium school at this fee level, ask which of the four statutory inclusion roles are filled and by whom, whether your child’s name would sit on the SEND register rather than simply be known to a teacher, and what is charged beyond standard tuition. See the special educational needs guide for the questions to ask on a visit.
Inspector summaries are being added school by school as each report is read — 212 of 212 so far, dated per cycle, never invented. A school without a summary yet is unread, not unjudged.
Visit kit
Questions worth asking on a tour — tuned to this school’s rating and curriculum:
- What did the last KHDA report ask you to improve, and what has changed since?
- Who leads inclusion here — and may we meet them before enrolling?
- How much staff turnover did you have last year, and why?
- What are actual class sizes this term — not the maximum?
- How and how often will I hear about my child’s progress?
Saved only on this device — never uploaded, never shared.
Special educational needs? Read the inclusion guide before you visit.
Other schools in Al Barsha
- GEMS Albarsha National School — Acceptable, AED 10,000 to 20,000 a year
- Repton Al Barsha — Very Good, AED 53,540 to 89,774 a year
- Nord Anglia International School Dubai — Outstanding, AED 69,625 to 105,288 a year
- Kings School Al Barsha — Outstanding, AED 54,000 to 98,000 a year
Work at this school? Correct or update this record — verified corrections are made promptly and logged publicly.