GEMS Dubai American Academy
Outstanding Al Barsha, Dubai · American
- KHDA rating
- Outstanding
The highest KHDA rating — consistently excellent teaching and outcomes. Expect waiting lists. Ratings are from the last full inspection cycle (2023–24).
- Annual fees
- AED 65,000 to 95,000 a year
Varies by year group; confirm current fees with the school. 2026–27 fees are frozen by KHDA directive.
- Curriculum
- American
- Established
- Founded 2000
- School transport
- Bus service available
- Location
- Al Barsha, Dubai
District-level pin for Al Barsha — use the Google Maps link for the exact gate.
Link verified against a live domain, July 2026.
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
Its mid-range fee is about 111 per cent above the median for American schools in this guide (AED 38,000). It is one of 22 schools in this guide currently rated Outstanding.
Worth comparing: Kings School Al Barsha (AED 54,000 to 98,000 a year) — a lower-fee option in the same area.
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:
- Outstanding for an eleventh inspection in October 2023 — the only US-curriculum school in Dubai to hold the top rating, now rated Outstanding across every key performance standard.
- Inclusion also rated Outstanding, covering support for over 320 students of determination, with a dedicated governor and champion for inclusive education and a strategic inclusion improvement plan.
- Dual pathways at the top of the school: the US High School Diploma alongside the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
- Founded in 1997 and the most successful for-profit US-curriculum school in the emirate on inspection evidence.
What they asked the school to improve:
- Eleven Outstanding cycles: the meaningful question is no longer the rating but sustainability — ask what the improvement plan targets when there is no higher grade to reach.
Inclusion (students of determination): Outstanding — over 320 students of determination, and a growth curve that tells its own story: 124 students identified in 2013–14, 220 by 2018–19, 334 by 2022–23. SEND provision was rated Very Good in 2018–19 and reached Outstanding in 2022–23, held since. A K-12 inclusion delivery model runs a graduated system of support with individual education plans and one-to-one services, an inclusion governor and inclusion champion sit above it, and the GEP programme provides High School Diploma equivalency for students who need an alternative route. Non-selective. The published admissions position: students are not refused admission based only on their experience of SEND, admission is not conditional on a medical diagnosis, and sibling priority is given to students who experience SEND. Note the school does ask for assessment before a place is offered, and requests any existing educational psychologist or therapy reports — sharing history is described as essential to resourcing, not a barrier. 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:
- 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?
- How long is the real waiting list for my child’s year group, and how does sibling priority work?
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.