Cities / Abu Dhabi / Shining Star International School
Shining Star International School
A budget-tier CBSE school in Mussafah serving a mostly Indian and South Asian community, currently rated Good by ADEK.
In brief
A budget-tier CBSE school in Mussafah serving a mostly Indian and South Asian community, currently rated Good by ADEK.
Fees are unusually low for Abu Dhabi, with KG1 around AED 7,900 and Grade 12 around AED 15,500, payable in installments. The CBSE programme is the core offer and the school adds Malayalam, Tamil, and Urdu as second-language options, which is a practical draw for South Indian and Pakistani families specifically.
Parent feedback in the WSA survey runs around 80% positive, with consistent praise for teacher accessibility, communication, and a manageable homework load that does not push the school day into the home. Comparable schools on the same fee tier and curriculum include Bright Riders and Sunrise English Private. Families looking for a stronger CBSE academic ceiling tend to pay the step up to Merryland or GIIS Abu Dhabi instead.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| KG1 | 4 | AED 8,630 |
| KG2 | 5 | AED 8,630 |
| Grade 1 | 6 | AED 10,300 |
| Grade 2 | 7 | AED 11,000 |
| Grade 3 | 8 | AED 11,560 |
| Grade 4 | 9 | AED 11,560 |
| Grade 5 | 10 | AED 13,730 |
| Grade 6 | 11 | AED 13,730 |
| Grade 7 | 12 | AED 14,840 |
| Grade 8 | 13 | AED 14,840 |
| Grade 9 | 14 | AED 15,920 |
| Grade 10 | 15 | AED 15,840 |
| Grade 11 | 16 | AED 16,930 |
| Grade 12 | 17 | AED 16,930 |
| Bus Fee | AED 4,420 |
Reviews
An Indian-curriculum school in Mussafah that has worked its way up from an early Weak rating to ADEK Good, with parents talking about a warm, hands-on teaching team, a wide spread of co-curriculars, and fees that sit low for Abu Dhabi. The trade is academic transparency: published exam outcomes are thin, and class sizes run on the larger side.
Positives
- ADEK rating trajectory. Now rated Good by ADEK after years climbing through Acceptable, with inspectors flagging teaching, student progress, and governance as the areas that have moved.
- Teaching and pastoral feel. Parents talk about teachers who know the children, communicate readily, and ease younger pupils in without piling on exam pressure in the early years.
- Breadth of activities. Robotics, music, drama, martial arts, chess, and Model UN all run, alongside science and computer labs and a multi-purpose auditorium.
- Second-language options. Malayalam, Tamil, and Urdu sit alongside Arabic and Hindi, which widens the choice compared with most CBSE peers in the city.
- Fees. Annual tuition runs roughly AED 8,600 to 16,900, comfortably at the value end of Abu Dhabi's market.
Considerations
- Academic transparency. The school does not publish class 10 or class 12 board results, so prospective families have to rely on the ADEK report and word of mouth for outcomes.
- Class size. A teacher-to-student ratio around 1:26 is on the higher side, which can stretch attention in larger year groups.
- Location. Sitting in Shabiya 12, Mussafah, the school is convenient for families on the mainland industrial side and a longer commute from the island.
Leadership