The Philippine School, Dubai

A community-anchored school in Rashidiyah serving the Filipino expat population, following the Philippine Department of Education curriculum from kindergarten through Grade 12.

The school sits at the affordable end of the Dubai market, with fees roughly AED 6,400 to AED 16,300, and serves over 2,300 students. Filipino is the primary language of instruction with English taught as an additional language, alongside the Arabic, Islamic and Moral Education modules required by the Ministry.

KHDA inspections have rated the school Acceptable for several years running, recovering from a Weak band between 2016 and 2019. Filipino language outcomes and personal and social development pull the rating up, while Arabic, teaching consistency and assessment accuracy are the longer-running drags. Facilities are modest. Families describe a caring pastoral culture and an approachable head, and the school works for households who want continuity with the Philippine system and a community that mirrors home.

The only Philippine-curriculum school in Dubai carrying KHDA registration, and the affordability shows up first: annual fees sit in the AED 6,443 to 16,294 band, well below most of the city's private market. KHDA has held the school at Acceptable through its most recent inspection cycle, a stable plateau after weaker ratings earlier in the school's history. Families talk about the value of Filipino-language instruction, a familiar K to 12 structure, and a pastoral environment that knows the children. The trade-offs sit on the academic edges: Arabic as an Additional Language is the weakest strand, teaching quality is uneven across classrooms, and provision for higher-attaining or additional-needs pupils is thinner than at premium peers. Extras and specialist facilities are modest by Dubai standards.