Most Improved Schools in Dubai 2026: 14 Years of KHDA Ratings

112 Dubai schools have raised their KHDA rating across the inspection cycles since 2008. Ranked by how many bands they've climbed.

112
Improved schools
33
+2 bands or more
16
Now Outstanding
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A school's current KHDA rating tells you where it stands now. Its trajectory tells you whether the leadership knows how to fix problems. 112 of Dubai's 226 KHDA-inspected schools have moved up at least one rating band since their first inspection (data goes back to 2008). The ones that climbed two or more bands — without quietly cycling back — are some of the most well-managed schools in Dubai. Here is the full list.

#SchoolFirst ratingLatest ratingBands movedWindowCurriculumAvg Fee
1 Victory Heights Primary School L.L.C Acceptable Outstanding +3 2014 – 2022 UK AED 44,473
2 Deira International School Acceptable Outstanding +3 2008 – 2022 UK AED 64,962
3 Dubai British School Acceptable Outstanding +3 2008 – 2022 UK AED 72,899
4 Dubai International Academy L.L.C Acceptable Outstanding +3 2008 – 2022 IB AED 62,337
5 Lycee Francais International Georges Pompidou School Oud Metha Acceptable Outstanding +3 2008 – 2022 French AED 31,276
6 M S B Private School Unsatisfactory Very good +3 2008 – 2022 UK AED 19,748
7 Credence High School L.L.C Acceptable Very good +2 2016 – 2022 Indian AED 22,829
8 Kings School Al Barsha L.L.C Good Outstanding +2 2016 – 2022 UK AED 80,670
9 Nord Anglia International School L.L.C Good Outstanding +2 2016 – 2022 UK AED 81,315
10 The Indian High School Acceptable Very good +2 2013 – 2022 Indian AED 7,995
11 JSS Private School L.L.C Acceptable Very good +2 2012 – 2022 Indian AED 19,260
12 Ambassador School Acceptable Very good +2 2011 – 2022 Indian AED 34,299
13 GEMS Modern Academy Good Outstanding +2 2009 – 2022 Indian AED 52,429
14 GEMS Our Own Indian School Acceptable Very good +2 2009 – 2022 Indian AED 10,952
15 Al Basateen Private Nursery - Hatta Branch Unsatisfactory Good +2 2008 – 2022 MOE AED 5,540
16 Al Shurooq Private School Unsatisfactory Good +2 2008 – 2022 MOE AED 10,422
17 Dubai College Good Outstanding +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 101,098
18 Dubai English Speaking College Good Outstanding +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 67,948
19 Dubai English Speaking School Good Outstanding +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 67,948
20 EMIRATES INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL MEADOWS Acceptable Very good +2 2008 – 2022 IB AED 55,437
21 GEMS Dubai American Academy - Dubai Branch Good Outstanding +2 2008 – 2022 US AED 79,742
22 GEMS Jumeira Primary School - Dubai Branch Good Outstanding +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 54,275
23 GEMS Royal Dubai School - Dubai Branch Acceptable Very good +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 51,272
24 GEMS Wellington International School - Dubai Branch Good Outstanding +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 73,782
25 GEMS World Academy Acceptable Very good +2 2008 – 2022 IB AED 97,277
26 Horizons English School L.L.C Good Outstanding +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 37,812
27 Mirdif American School Unsatisfactory Good +2 2008 – 2022 US AED 36,512
28 Raffles World Academy Acceptable Very good +2 2008 – 2022 IB AED 63,733
29 Regent International Private School L.L.C Acceptable Very good +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 76,353
30 Repton School Good Outstanding +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 72,931
31 Star International School Unsatisfactory Good +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 40,289
32 The Winchester School - DUBAI BRANCH Acceptable Very good +2 2008 – 2022 UK AED 21,793
33 Universal American School - Branch Acceptable Very good +2 2008 – 2022 US AED 61,105
34 Dwight School L.L.C Acceptable Good +1 2020 – 2022 IB AED 87,936
35 Lycee Francais Jean Mermoz L.L.C Good Very good +1 2020 – 2022 French AED 54,157
36 Amity School L.L.C Acceptable Good +1 2019 – 2022 Indian AED 25,045
37 Newlands School Acceptable Good +1 2019 – 2022 UK AED 28,880
38 North London Collegiate School Middle East L.L.C - FZ Good Very good +1 2019 – 2022 IB AED 117,708
39 American School of Creative Science L.L.C Acceptable Good +1 2018 – 2022 US AED 54,245
40 Arcadia British School Good Very good +1 2018 – 2022 UK AED 63,614
41 Smart Vision School Acceptable Good +1 2018 – 2022 UK AED 42,022
42 Dove Green Private School L.L.C Acceptable Good +1 2017 – 2022 UK AED 49,615
43 Dubai British School Jumeirah Park Good Very good +1 2017 – 2022 UK AED 75,598
44 Hartland International School - FZ Good Very good +1 2017 – 2022 UK AED 70,792
45 Ranches Primary School Good Very good +1 2017 – 2022 UK AED 58,443
46 ST MARY HIGH SCHOOL MUHAISNAH L.L.C Acceptable Good +1 2017 – 2022 UK AED 16,498
47 Swiss International Scientific School FZ-LLC Acceptable Good +1 2017 – 2022 IB AED 95,635
48 Capital School L.L.C Acceptable Good +1 2016 – 2022 UK AED 36,967
49 GEMS Metropole School - Dubai Branch Acceptable Good +1 2016 – 2022 UK AED 43,827
50 Kings School Nad Al Sheba L.L.C Good Very good +1 2016 – 2022 UK AED 60,600
51 Safa Community School Good Very good +1 2016 – 2022 UK AED 68,761
52 Sunmarke School L.L.C Good Very good +1 2016 – 2022 UK AED 73,986
53 Woodlem Park School L.L.C Weak Acceptable +1 2016 – 2022 Indian AED 18,599
54 Bilingual French International School L.L.C-FZ Acceptable Good +1 2015 – 2022 French AED 75,143
55 GEMS International School Al Khail L.L.C Acceptable Good +1 2015 – 2022 IB AED 65,951
56 GEMS New Millennium School L.L.C Good Very good +1 2015 – 2022 UK AED 28,350
57 GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail L.L.C Good Very good +1 2015 – 2022 UK AED 72,524
58 Repton Al Barsha Fz-Llc Good Very good +1 2015 – 2022 UK AED 73,480
59 Sabari Indian School L.L.C Acceptable Good +1 2015 – 2022 Indian AED 18,623
60 Collegiate International School Acceptable Good +1 2012 – 2022 US AED 55,054
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does rating improvement matter when I'm choosing a school?

A school that has climbed from Acceptable to Very Good has demonstrated, through three or four independent KHDA inspection cycles, that its leadership can identify weaknesses and fix them. That's a much stronger quality signal than a school that has been Outstanding for one cycle. Improvement is harder to fake than a single good rating.

How are bands counted?

KHDA's bands are Outstanding (5), Very Good (4), Good (3), Acceptable (2), Weak (1). A school that went Acceptable → Very Good moved +2 bands. We exclude inspection cycles where KHDA marked the school as a "first inspection" — those aren't real ratings, just placeholders.

Can a school's rating go down again?

Yes, and it does — KHDA inspects regularly and isn't shy about lowering ratings. The schools listed here showed a positive net change between their first real rating and their most recent. Some moved up then sideways; some had a single big jump. The school's full year-by-year history is on its individual page.

How recent is this data?

The most recent KHDA inspection cycle covered in this dataset is 2022. KHDA paused inspections during the pandemic and has been catching up since. Newer cycles will be incorporated as KHDA publishes them.