29 Dubai schools rated Outstanding for inclusion by KHDA, plus the full ranking of 212 schools by SEN provision.
Every Dubai school has been required to declare itself "inclusive" since 2017. The reality on the ground varies enormously. KHDA's inclusion rating is a separate judgment from the headline rating and is the single most reliable public signal of how well a school actually supports children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), neurodivergent learners, and English-as-additional-language pupils. The schools below are ranked first by inclusion rating, then by overall KHDA rating.
It means KHDA's inspectors observed strong identification, planning, and outcomes for "Students of Determination" — Dubai's term for children with formal diagnoses of SEND. The rubric specifically looks at: how the school identifies needs at admission, the quality of individual education plans, the experience and number of specialist staff, accessibility of the physical environment, and measurable progress for these students against personalised targets.
Many Outstanding-rated schools are only Good for inclusion, and vice versa. The headline rating is a weighted aggregate; the inclusion rating is the inspectors' specific verdict on SEND provision. If your child has a diagnosed need, the inclusion rating matters far more than the headline.
It's KHDA's official term for children with disabilities or SEND, used in all Dubai government communications. It carries no diagnostic specificity — it covers everything from mild dyslexia to autism to physical disability. The number on each school's page is the school's self-reported count.
Either the school is small and genuinely has none enrolled, or — more commonly — it has a stricter admission process for children with diagnoses. A school confidently rated Very Good or Outstanding for inclusion will typically have a healthy and visible cohort. Read our SEN guide for what to ask in admissions.
