There’s no denying that Dubai school fees are one of the biggest outlays for expat families. The cost of an education in the UAE is the second highest in the world after Hong Kong, according to the most recent “Value of Education” report by HSBC.
With most Dubai private schools given the green light to increase tuition fees, the spotlight turns to institutions whose rates remain competitive. A spike of up to 5.2 per cent in fees could send some parents on a hunt for more affordable alternatives in a pool of more than 200 private schools in the city.
The emirate’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has made all information about school fees available in a comprehensive fact sheet that can be accessed online. In just a few taps, one can see an overview of how much an institution charges — including costs outside the scope of tuition fees.
We searched for some of the most affordable schools in Dubai, based on 2023-2024 fees published on the KHDA fact sheets. Here’s a list:
Iranian Salman Farsi Boys School
• Annual fees: Dh2,546 (Grade 1) to Dh3,845 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Iranian
• Founding year: 2000
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Al Qusais First
• Annual fees: Dh3,954 (KG1) to Dh10,280 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Indian
• Founding year: 1984
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Al Qusais First
Little Flower English School Dubai
• Annual fees: Dh4,004 (KG1) to Dh4,288 (Grade 6)
• Curriculum: Indian
• Founding year: 1984
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Hor Al Anz
• Annualfees: Dh4,490 (KG1) to Dh7,580 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Indian
• Founding year: 1982
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Muhaisnah First
• Annual fees: Dh4,278 (KG1) to Dh7,701 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Indian
• Founding year: 1981
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Al Nahda Second
• Annual fees: Dh4,697 (KG1) to Dh7,766 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Indian
• Founding year: 1980
• KHDA rating: Good
• Location: Al Garhoud
English Language Private School
• Annual fees: Dh4,312 (FS2) to Dh11,321 (Year 13)
• Curriculum: UK
• Founding year: 1982
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Umm Hurair First
Al Sadiq Islamic English School
• Annual fees: Dh5,567 (FS2) to Dh10,150 (Year 11)
• Curriculum: UK
• Founding year: 1989
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Al Qusais First
• Annual fees: Dh5,414 (KG1) to Dh11,736 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Indian
• Founding year: 1993
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Deira
• Annual fees: Dh5,033 (KG1) to Dh9,161 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Indian
• Founding year: 1979
• KHDA rating: Good
• Location: Al Garhoud
• Annual fees: Dh5,125 (FS1) to Dh6,954 (Year 13)
• Curriculum: UK
• Founding year: 1974
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Al Garhoud
United International Private School
• Annual fees: Dh6,229 (KG1) to Dh13,310 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Philippine
• Founding year: 1992
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Muhaisnah First
• Annual fees: 6,000 (KG1) to 8,939 (Grade 9)
• Curriculum: Ministry of Education
• Founding year: 1973
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Al Rashidiya
• Annual fees: Dh6,504 (FS1) to Dh11,121 (Year 13)
• Curriculum: UK
• Founding year: 1975
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: A Mizhar First
• Annual fees: Dh6,644 (KG1) to Dh8,702 (Grade 12)
• Curriculum: Pakistani
• Founding year: 1983
• KHDA rating: Acceptable
• Location: Umm Hurair
