Dubai Schools Al Barsha
Acceptable Al Barsha, Dubai · American
- KHDA rating
- Acceptable
Meets minimum standards; may be on an improvement plan. Read the full report before enrolling. Ratings are from the last full inspection cycle (2023–24).
- Annual fees
- Fees not listed — confirm with the school
Varies by year group; confirm current fees with the school. 2026–27 fees are frozen by KHDA directive.
- Curriculum
- American
- Established
- Not recorded
- 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.
In context
It is one of 27 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 (2023–24 cycle) and its published record — read the complete report on the official KHDA directory.
Strengths the inspectors named:
- A genuinely distinctive proposition: a public-private partnership between the Dubai Government and Taaleem — owners of Outstanding-rated Dubai British School Emirates Hills — designed to deliver quality education to Emirati families at mid-range fees.
- Wellbeing rated Good, above the overall rating, with strong leadership commitment and effective collaboration between leaders, counsellors and parents.
- The majority of its 78 teachers were recruited from the UK, with a teaching assistant allocated to every class from KG to Grade 3.
- NEASC and TASS accreditation, an American curriculum aligned to New York State standards with Arabic and Islamic Studies integrated, and inspectors noting strength in culture, pastoral care and community engagement.
What they asked the school to improve:
- Acceptable on its first inspection in May 2024 — the regulator’s minimum, and an honest signal that this is a school still in its formative years.
- The clear gap is academic: English, mathematics and science attainment across Elementary and Middle is what leadership must lift, at pace.
- Grades are still being added annually toward a full high-school diploma pathway — so senior provision and any examination record remain unproven.
Inclusion (students of determination): 161 students identified with additional learning needs at the first KHDA inspection in May 2024 — a substantial cohort for a school then only three years old. The school states that it prides itself on inclusion and welcomes all students, and leadership has since been strengthened by the appointment of a Dean of Students. The stated purpose of the whole Dubai Schools partnership is worth knowing, because it explains the standard this school is being held to: the project exists to help Dubai reach its aspiration of having 100% of Emirati students enrolled in Good-or-better rated schools. This campus is currently Acceptable, so it has not yet met the bar its own programme was created to clear. 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 — 169 of 169 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?
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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.