Horizon Private School Branch

A US curriculum school in Khalifa City with a majority-Emirati student body, opened in 2008.

Around 65 percent of students are Emirati, with the rest drawn from Jordan, Egypt, the US and 40-plus other nationalities. Programme follows Virginia-aligned Common Core with Arabic and French embedded alongside English. Fees span a wide range from KG to senior school.

ADEK rated the school Good in 2024-25, a step down from Very Good in 2022-23. Parent surveys land around 4.3 out of 5, with strong notes on teacher quality and active parent involvement. Older teacher commentary points to discipline and behaviour management as historic challenges.

Christopher Tompkins joined as principal in August 2025 from a senior NEOM education role. Best fit for families who want strong Arabic and Islamic studies alongside an American academic pathway and prefer an Emirati-majority peer group.

• ADEK rated Horizon Private School Branch Good in the 2024-25 inspection cycle, a step down from Very Good in 2022-23. Reviewers reference the operating-from-temporary-facilities flag in the inspection report.
• Parent comments on directory pages cluster around 4 to across a moderate review pool. Common themes are dedicated teachers, responsive admin and parents who feel feedback is taken seriously.
• Reviewers describe US-curriculum delivery at affordable fees relative to Abu Dhabi peers, with a multi-child family on EdArabia describing five children educated through to graduation.
• The school operates two related entities, a US-curriculum branch and a Ministry of Education branch; reviewers occasionally conflate the two, so weight should sit on the Branch reviews specifically.
• No consistent negative theme on classroom experience surfaces, though the rating step-down and interim-facilities note are material context families should price in.