Cities / Abu Dhabi / Al Najah Private School
Al Najah Private School
An affordable, large UK-curriculum school in MBZ City that recently added the IB Diploma, drawing heavily from the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian expat communities.
In brief
An affordable, large UK-curriculum school in MBZ City that recently added the IB Diploma, drawing heavily from the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian expat communities.
Founded in 1987 on Abu Dhabi Island and relocated to Mussafah/MBZ City in 1995, Al Najah now enrols around 2,460 students with fees in the AED 13,000 to AED 30,000 range. That puts it among the most affordable IB Diploma options in the emirate.
ADEK inspections single out distributed leadership, student behaviour and a safe, caring atmosphere as real strengths. Class sizes run larger than at premium schools, with FS ratios around 1:22 and around 1:16 elsewhere. Parents report steady year-on-year improvements and praise teaching quality given the fee tier. Families typically compare Al Najah with Bright Riders and other affordable MBZ options rather than the Saadiyat premium set.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| KG1 Tuition | 4 | AED 15,060 |
| KG2 Tuition | 5 | AED 15,060 |
| Grade 1 Tuition | 6 | AED 16,580 |
| Grade 2 Tuition | 7 | AED 16,580 |
| Grade 3 Tuition | 8 | AED 17,860 |
| Grade 4 Tuition | 9 | AED 18,850 |
| Grade 5 Tuition | 10 | AED 19,720 |
| Grade 6 Tuition | 11 | AED 20,150 |
| Grade 7 Tuition | 12 | AED 21,800 |
| Grade 8 Tuition | 13 | AED 23,430 |
| Grade 9 Tuition | 14 | AED 24,850 |
| Grade 10 Tuition | 15 | AED 26,300 |
| Grade 11 IB Tuition | 16 | AED 30,110 |
| Grade 11 AS Tuition | 16 | AED 30,110 |
| Grade 12 AS Tuition | 17 | AED 32,300 |
| Grade 12 IB Tuition | 17 | AED 32,300 |
Reviews
Long-standing co-ed in Mohamed Bin Zayed City built around an affordability promise and a UK-plus-IB academic route. ADEK has held it at Good through three inspection cycles. Sciences and maths at the top end carry the academic reputation; Arabic-medium subjects and middle-phase attainment are the persistent soft spots. Parents talk warmly about leadership and approachable staff; the harder edges are mostly structural, around facilities scale and communication consistency.
Positives
- Leadership and parent rapport. Long-tenured director and the principal team are described as visible and easy to reach. Parents repeatedly use words like welcoming and approachable, and singular medical or pastoral needs are accommodated without fuss.
- Fees and value. Annual fees sit in the AED 14,600 to 31,320 band, which is unusually low for an IB Diploma school in Abu Dhabi. The affordability pitch is real, not marketing.
- Top-end academics. Science and maths results at IB Diploma and International A-Level are consistently strong, and the IB Diploma pass rate has historically been high. Students moving on to university tend to describe themselves as well prepared.
- Community feel and student mix. A predominantly Arab roll, with large Egyptian and Jordanian groups, gives the school a settled regional character rather than the transient expat churn of nearby compounds. After-school activities get warm mentions.
Considerations
- Arabic-medium subjects. Inspection after inspection flags Arabic-medium subjects as the weakest strand. Families looking for parity between English and Arabic streams tend to find the Arabic side lighter.
- Middle-phase attainment. Standardised testing in Phases 2 and 3 has shown weak attainment in English, maths and science, even where senior-phase results hold up. The dip in the middle years is a known soft spot.
- Differentiation. Support for both lower and higher attaining students has been called out as a thin area across inspection cycles. Stretch for the most able is not the school's strongest suit.
- Facilities scale. Over 2,000 students share a single library weighted heavily towards levelled English readers, with a small Arabic collection and limited space for independent or group work. Facilities feel stretched against the roll size.
- Parent communication. Day-to-day access to leadership is widely praised. Structured communication is patchier, with inspection findings repeatedly flagging it and parents occasionally describing the parent-teacher conference setup as disorganised.
Leadership
Ahd Abou Ghazal
Ahd Abou Ghazal is the School Director of Al Najah Private School, committed to fostering a nurturing and challenging educational environment for students. With a focus on growth and development, she leads the school in its mission to inspire learners to become global citizens.
Academic results
- IB Diploma 2020 average 100% of students earned the diploma
- IB Diploma overall 98% of students earned an IB diploma
Location
Mohammed Bin Zayed City - 9 Near Al Safir Mall - مدينة محمد بن زايد - محمد بن زايد شرق 9 - أبو ظبي - United Arab Emirates