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← Back to blog · 22 May 2026

Every Outstanding Dubai School: What KHDA Actually Highlighted

27 Dubai schools hold KHDA's top rating. Their inspection reports each list 3-5 specific strengths the inspectors found "exceptional." We pulled the strengths text from all 27 of them and asked: what do these schools have in common, and where do they differ?

The themes that run through all 27

Across the 27 Outstanding-rated schools, certain words recur in inspectors' strength statements far more often than others. These are the dimensions on which KHDA reliably grades a school Outstanding.

Most frequent themes in Outstanding-rating inspectors' strength statements

Counts of word occurrences across all strength statements in the 27 reports.

outstanding
83×
inclusion
29×
wellbeing
25×
improved
23×
excellent
21×
growing
21×
support
20×
strong
20×
learning
20×
leadership
18×
curriculum
13×
social
13×

Outstanding schools are remarkably consistent on a small number of attributes: leadership, achievement, wellbeing, teaching quality, and learning behaviours.

The full strengths list for every Outstanding Dubai school

Each block below is the KHDA inspectors' own "key strengths" wording for one Outstanding-rated school. Read a few and the pattern becomes obvious — Outstanding is not vibes, it's a specific set of measured behaviours.

Deira International School

UK · Dubai Festival City · AED 64,962/yr · est. 2005

  • The excellent provision in FS and the outstanding progress in English, mathematics and science in all.
  • Students’ exemplary attitudes, behaviour and relationships, their understanding of Emirati culture and.
  • The high-quality support provided for health, care and safety.
  • Motivating leaders, supportive governors and engaged parents as well as excellent resources.

Dubai British School

UK · Emirates Hills · AED 72,899/yr · est. 2005

  • The high aspirations of all leaders and the full support of governors.
  • The fully inclusive nature of the school and the excellent support and opportunities provided for all students.
  • The high quality teaching, use of assessment and curriculum.
  • The establishment of a vibrant and dynamic learning community.

Dubai British School Jumeirah Park

UK · Jumeirah Park · AED 75,598/yr · est. 2015

  • The Foundation Stage (FS), where teaching and learning are personalised by inspiring teachers.
  • Students' outstanding performance in English and science across all phases.
  • The care, support and safety that students experience within positive classroom climates.
  • The support, commitment and involvement of parents in their children's inclusive education.

Dubai College

UK · AL SAFOUH FIRST · AED 101,098/yr · est. 1978

  • Students' academic results in English, mathematics and science and their learning skills, which continue.
  • Improvements in students' progress in Islamic Education and Arabic.
  • Students' excellent personal and social development, including their social responsibility and.
  • A strong curriculum taught very well across the College.

Dubai English Speaking College

UK · Academic City · AED 67,948/yr · est. 2005

  • Exemplary leadership, focused on ensuring that students’ wellbeing and achievements are at the centre.
  • The caring ethos and commitment of the staff, enabling students to achieve excellent standards in.
  • The impressive improvements in the provision and outcomes in Islamic Education and Arabic.
  • Students' personal development, their strong social responsibility, deep understanding of Islamic values.

Dubai English Speaking School

UK · OUD METHA · AED 67,948/yr · est. 1973

  • The clear vision of senior leaders.
  • The very high quality of care and support.
  • Students’ outstanding attainment and progress in English, mathematics and science.
  • The health and safety procedures.

GEMS Dubai American Academy

US · AL BARSHA SOUTH FIRST · AED 79,742/yr · est. 1997

  • Highly-effective leadership and governance.
  • Sustained excellent student outcomes and learning skills.
  • Commitment to an inclusive culture which embraces wellbeing.
  • Students’ continued excellent personal and social skills.

GEMS Founders School

UK · AL BARSHA SECOND · AED 31,800/yr · est. 2016

  • Very effective leadership which ensures consistent improvement.
  • The commitment to inclusive education.
  • The partnership with parents.
  • The systems to ensure the health, safety and protection of students.

GEMS Jumeira Primary School

UK · JUMEIRA THIRD · AED 54,275/yr · est. 1994

  • Highly effective senior leadership and governance.
  • High levels of student achievement and learning skills in most subjects, and improved progress in Islamic.
  • The commitment to an inclusive culture where all individuals are valued.
  • Students’ excellent personal development and social skills, particularly in FS.

GEMS Modern Academy

Indian · NADD AL SHIBA FIRST · AED 52,429/yr · est. 1986

  • Students’ achievements in a wide range of academic and non-academic areas, and their personal and social.
  • Students’ well-developed learning skills which support their current learning and future pathways.
  • School leader’s successful delivery of a dual curriculum pathway from Grade 6 onwards.
  • The facilities and care and support that supports students’ engagement in learning.

GEMS Royal Dubai School

UK · MIRDIF · AED 51,272/yr · est. 2005

  • The outstanding progress made by children in FS in English, mathematics and science.
  • Students’ enthusiasm and their ability to apply their outstanding learning skills to make meaningful.
  • Students’ exemplary behaviour, their respect for the heritage and culture of the UAE and their.
  • The well-planned curriculum which provides very good support and guidance to enhance the learning.

GEMS Wellington Academy -

UK · Dubai Silicon Oasis · AED 65,716/yr · est. 2011

  • Students' excellent personal and social development, their wellbeing and appreciation of their own and.
  • The breadth and balance of a highly inclusive curriculum, which meets the needs of all groups of students.
  • The exemplary Foundation Stage and the excellent performance of students across the curriculum,.
  • The improving provision and achievement in Islamic Education and Arabic.

GEMS Wellington International School

UK · AL SAFOUH FIRST · AED 73,782/yr · est. 2005

  • The ethos of wellbeing and inclusion that are intrinsic features of the school.
  • The all-round development of children in the Foundation Stage.
  • The students’ attitudes and behaviour, and their confidence and actions as ambassadors for the school.
  • Improvements in students’ outcomes in Islamic Education and Arabic.

Horizons English School

UK · AL WASL · AED 37,812/yr · est. 1989

  • Students' outcomes in English, mathematics and science in FS and in the primary phase.
  • The community ethos and caring culture which permeate the school and lead to a high level of wellbeing.
  • The quality of provision and outcomes in FS.
  • A skilfully taught curriculum which ensures seamless transition between phases.

Jumeira Baccalaureate School

IB · JUMEIRA FIRST · AED 80,250/yr · est. 2010

  • The commitment to health, safety, child protection and care and support.
  • The development of Islamic Education, Arabic and English, leading to improvements in students’.
  • The design and delivery of the curriculum, including the Francophone programme, and the increasing.
  • The opportunities for students to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

The remaining 12 Outstanding schools have their full strength statements on their individual pages — see the complete Outstanding list or browse the overall rankings.

What this means for parents

Sources and methodology

Strength statements are quoted verbatim from each school's most recent KHDA full inspection report. We extracted the "Key strengths of the school" or equivalent section. Frequency analysis: lowercased words with at least 5 characters, common stop-words removed (school, students, their, across, etc.), counted across all strength statements pooled. The intent is to surface the language inspectors actually use, not to score schools.

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