Philadelphia Private School
Good Muhaisnah, Dubai · American
- KHDA rating
- Good
Good standards in most areas. The most common rating among Dubai schools. 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 18,514 to 31,704 a year
Varies by year group; confirm current fees with the school. 2026–27 fees are frozen by KHDA directive.
- Curriculum
- American
- Established
- Founded 2004
- School transport
- Bus service available
- Location
- Muhaisnah, Dubai
District-level pin for Muhaisnah — 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 32 per cent below the median for American schools in this guide (AED 37,000). It is one of 79 schools in this guide currently rated Good.
Worth comparing: Primus Private School (AED 9,000 to 16,000 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 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:
- Good in 2024 — and that is a genuine breakthrough, not a plateau: this school was rated Acceptable every year from 2011 to 2023. Thirteen consecutive years at the minimum, then a move up. Very few schools in this register have made that climb.
- A US-curriculum school running KG1 to Grade 12 in Muhaisnah, with a significant part of the elementary programme built on child-initiated activity.
- Fees of roughly AED 18,500 to 31,700, with transport routes covering both Dubai and Sharjah.
What they asked the school to improve:
- A rating earned in 2024 after thirteen years at Acceptable is recent. The question to put to leaders is what specifically changed, who drove it, and whether those people are still in post.
- We have not verified enrolment, teacher numbers or detailed phase-level inspection findings from sources we trust, and have not estimated them.
- Ask what the improvement plan funds this year — holding a new rating is a different task from earning it.
Inclusion (students of determination): Acceptable in KHDA’s official Inclusion Rating Table — below the school’s Good overall rating, which matters, because it means the improvement that lifted this school off thirteen years at Acceptable has not yet reached its inclusion provision to the same degree. For a family whose child needs support, that gap is the thing to ask about specifically: what changed for the school as a whole, and what has changed for children who need adaptation. 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:
- 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 Muhaisnah
- Primus Private School — Good, AED 9,000 to 16,000 a year
- SMM High School Muhaisnah — Good, Fees not listed — confirm with the school
- Dubai Arabian American Private School — Weak, AED 15,134 to 35,411 a year
- United International Private School — Acceptable, AED 5,457 to 11,990 a year
Work at this school? Correct or update this record — verified corrections are made promptly and logged publicly.