Cities / Abu Dhabi / The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Girls
The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Girls
The original Sheikh Zayed Private Academy campus, established in 2000 in Al Rowdah for girls, with a strong Emirati identity and an American curriculum leading to a US High School Diploma and AP courses.
In brief
The original Sheikh Zayed Private Academy campus, established in 2000 in Al Rowdah for girls, with a strong Emirati identity and an American curriculum leading to a US High School Diploma and AP courses.
The curriculum blends the Massachusetts Common Core framework with UAE Ministry requirements for Arabic, Islamic Studies, and social studies. The school holds CIS and NEASC accreditation and has been rated Outstanding by ADEK in recent inspection cycles.
Roughly 95 percent of students are Emirati, and programmes around Arabic, Quran, and national identity are central rather than additive. The campus is older than the boys' site, and a portion of recent feedback flags facilities that need refreshing relative to the fee level. Strongest fit for Emirati and Arab families seeking an academic, values-driven environment with a clear North American university route.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Pre K | 3 | AED 33,910 |
| KG1 | 4 | AED 33,910 |
| KG2 | 5 | AED 33,910 |
| Grade 1 | 6 | AED 50,000 |
| Grades 2-4 | 7 | AED 50,000 |
| Grades 5-6 | 10 | AED 56,890 |
| Grades 7-8 | 12 | AED 63,220 |
| Grade 9 | 14 | AED 69,890 |
| Grades 10-12 | 15 | AED 78,160 |
Reviews
The sister campus to SZPA Boys, sitting under the same GEMS-managed umbrella and serving a student body that is overwhelmingly Emirati. American pathway built on Massachusetts Common Core, with AP and SAT prep feeding a US high school diploma. ADEK lifted the school to Outstanding at the most recent Irtiqaa inspection, a step up from a long run of Very Good ratings. Parents praise pastoral care, Islamic values integration and the confidence that comes from a girls-only secondary, while raising questions about value at the top of the fee scale and the gap between strong internal grades and weaker external benchmark scores.
Positives
- Leadership and direction. Inspection rates leadership and governance Outstanding across every dimension. Dr Emma Merva arrived from eleven years as superintendent and principal of a New Jersey district school, and the school has moved decisively from Very Good to Outstanding under the new framework.
- Pastoral care and identity. The thread parents return to most often. Islamic values sit at the centre of school life rather than bolted on, and families describe daughters leaving as confident young women proud of their Emirati identity. Safeguarding is described as embedded rather than surface.
- Girls-only secondary. Boys and girls share Pre-K through Grade 3, then the girls campus runs single-sex through to Grade 12. Families value the leadership posture this creates in the senior years, with girls filling every role and dominating class discussion.
- Teacher quality and class size. A 1:11 staff to student ratio, internationally recruited teachers, and a parent population that broadly says daughters love their teachers and feel known as individuals.
Considerations
- External benchmark gap. MAP results in English, mathematics and science came back weak across middle and upper grades, and PISA 2022 placed the school below international averages on reading, maths and science. Internal grades read stronger than the outside tests, and that distance shows up in how parents talk about academic stretch.
- Value at the top of the fee scale. Fees run from AED 33,910 in kindergarten to AED 78,160 at Post-16. Only around a fifth of parents say fees represent good value against a city benchmark above 50 percent, and complaints about an ageing building needing a renovation plan recur.
- Discipline and rule enforcement. The structured, traditional approach lands well for many families and chafes with others. Strict attendance rules draw flak, with parents describing demerits for being a minute late and limited flex around circumstances.
- Diversity of the student body. Around 91 percent of students are Emirati, with small contingents from Jordan, the United States and Pakistan. The school is closer to a national Emirati school in feel than to the expat-international category that dominates Abu Dhabi rankings.
Leadership
Emma Merva
Dr Emma Merva serves as Principal of Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Girls, leading an academy built on a proud tradition of academic excellence, innovative teaching and holistic student development. She emphasises creating a learning environment that is both challenging and nurturing, where students develop their talents, gain skills for success, and prioritise high achievement, personal integrity and active community engagement.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges 02
Location
Mubarak Bin Mohammed St - Al Rowdah - W15 01 - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates