The National Charity School for Boys
Acceptable Al Garhoud, 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 5,927 to 9,056 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 1981
- School transport
- Bus service available
- Location
- Al Garhoud, Dubai
District-level pin for Al Garhoud — 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 50 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.
Worth comparing: Grammar School (AED 5,120 to 7,040 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:
- Arabic-medium Ministry of Education curriculum delivered entirely in Arabic for boys from Grade 5 to Grade 12, covering Islamic Education, Arabic as a first language, English, mathematics, and separate biology, physics and chemistry streams at secondary.
- Mathematics is the clear academic standout: attainment and progress rated Good in both Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 — the only subject to achieve it.
- Advanced-track sections in Grades 10 to 12 carry no additional fee premium, and the school participates in the International Benchmark Tests as an external measure.
- Genuinely affordable at roughly AED 5,900 to 9,100, averaging near AED 6,900, under the National Charity Schools network.
What they asked the school to improve:
- Acceptable overall — the floor rather than the standard, and the honest headline whatever the strength in mathematics.
- Published fee figures differ between sources for the different National Charity School branches — confirm which branch and which KHDA-approved schedule applies to your child.
- Instruction is entirely in Arabic — a decisive fact for a family whose child is not a fluent Arabic speaker.
Inclusion (students of determination): Acceptable in KHDA’s official Inclusion Rating Table. We have not verified a cohort figure or team structure so we have left it out. Ask how many students of determination are on roll, who holds the inclusion champion role, and — because instruction is entirely in Arabic — how support is delivered for a student who needs learning support and language support at the same time. 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 Garhoud
- North American International School — Acceptable, AED 22,000 to 42,000 a year
- Delhi Private School — Very Good, AED 10,000 to 17,000 a year
- Russian International School — Good, AED 15,722 to 25,180 a year
- Gulf Model School — Acceptable, AED 11,000 to 22,000 a year
Work at this school? Correct or update this record — verified corrections are made promptly and logged publicly.