The Spanish School of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi | International Schools Guide

A small Spanish curriculum school in Al Bateen, primarily serving Spanish-speaking expatriate families and Emirati families who want their children fluent in Spanish alongside English and Arabic.

The school follows the Spanish Ministry of Education curriculum, which makes it one of the few options in Abu Dhabi for families on the diplomatic or corporate Iberian and Latin American circuit who want a clean transfer back to Madrid, Barcelona, or Mexico City.

The community is small and tight-knit, with parents describing a calm, family atmosphere and accessible teachers. Facilities and extra-curricular breadth are modest compared with the larger international schools on the island. The right fit for parents prioritising Spanish-language continuity and a small-school feel over scale.

The only school in the UAE accredited by Spain's Ministry of Education, opened in Al Bateen in September 2020 and led by Eva Sánchez. It draws Spanish-speaking families and a large share of Emirati parents looking for a non-English route, and has grown quickly from a small pandemic cohort to over three hundred children across more than forty nationalities. Classes are small, the Spanish curriculum is delivered by native teachers recruited from Spain alongside English and Arabic, and families describe the place in terms of warmth and personal attention. The age range is still building: the school runs through primary and is rolling out ESO one year at a time, with no Bachillerato yet, and ADEK has not issued a public inspection rating.

Positives

Spanish curriculum, properly accredited. Homologated by Spain's Ministry of Education, with teachers hired directly from Spain and a Cervantes Institute examination centre on site. Families moving between Spain and the UAE can keep children on the same academic track.
Family feel and small classes. Parents describe the school as a community rather than an institution, with staff who know each child by name. Class sizes average around ten in the early years and cap at twenty, and the ratio in primary is generous.
Genuinely multicultural intake. Roughly a third Emirati, around a third from Spanish-speaking countries, and the rest spread across more than forty nationalities. The mix is unusual for Abu Dhabi and the trilingual model in Spanish, English and Arabic gives it substance.
Leadership continuity. Eva Sánchez has led the school since its early years and is the visible face of the project. Parents and teachers point to her in the same breath as the school's culture.

Age range still building out. The school runs Pre-K through primary and is rolling out ESO one year at a time. Bachillerato is not yet offered, so families planning a full Spanish secondary path will need to weigh what is in place when their child gets there.

Single class per grade. Each year group has one class. That keeps the community tight, and it also means there is no peer or teacher to switch to if a particular fit does not work.

No ADEK rating yet. Non-MOE curriculum schools sit outside the standard inspection cycle, and the school has not been given a public ADEK rating. The usual external benchmark Abu Dhabi parents lean on is not available here.

Eva Sanchez