Best Secondary Schools in Dubai (2026) | International Schools Guide

The brief

The strongest A-Level result in the city is Dubai College. Ages 11 to 18, A-Level only. *75% A/A at A-Level 2025, average GCSE grade 8.4, 97% of leavers to university.** Selective at 11+, long waitlists.
The strongest IB DP result is JESS Arabian Ranches at 37 to 38 (2025), with NLCS Dubai at 36.8 and Sunmarke at 36.5. May 2024 worldwide DP average was 30.32.
Premium British tier: Dubai College, Jumeirah College, Brighton College Dubai, JESS AR, Repton Dubai, GEMS Wellington International, Kings' Al Barsha.
American/AP tier: American School of Dubai (US-curriculum flagship), GEMS Dubai American Academy (American spine then IB DP), Universal American School (dual AP and IB DP at sixth form).
"Secondary" here means Years 7 to 13 on the British side (KS3 to KS5), Grades 6 to 12 on the American side, MYP and DP on the IB side. KHDA inspects every Dubai school annually under DSIB and rates each Outstanding through Very Weak.

Dubai is the largest international secondary market in the world by school count. Around 76 schools teach an English National Curriculum spine, 34 are authorised to deliver some part of the IB, and roughly a dozen run an American curriculum to high-school graduation. Top-year fees span AED 30,000 at the affordable end to AED 144,000 at NLCS.

The frame that organises most parent conversations is the KHDA inspection cycle. Every private school is inspected annually under the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB), with a single headline rating plus attainment and progress strands. KHDA is a regulator-inspector, not an accreditation; it sits alongside any BSO, COBIS, CIS or NEASC layer a school holds. The current rating is the one that matters. The British track dominates by volume; the premium IB DP tier clusters around NLCS, JESS, Repton, Sunmarke and DIA Emirates Hills; the American AP tier is smaller, anchored by ASD.

The top tier, British

BSO Outstanding inspections, KHDA Outstanding or Very Good, A-Level profiles that hold against UK independent benchmarks. Senior-year fees AED 80,000 to 110,000.

Dubai College

Al Sufouh. Ages 11 to 18. Fees AED 97,415–110,305. Founded 1978. BSO accredited. ~1,094 pupils. Selective at 11+, A-Level only. *2025: 75% A/A, 95% grades 9/7 at GCSE, average GCSE grade 8.4, 97% to university.** Waitlist is the binding constraint.

Jumeirah College

Al Safa. Ages 11 to 18. Fees AED 78,946–98,681. Founded 2010. BSO Outstanding 2023, COBIS Accredited Member. ~1,300 pupils. GEMS-operated senior school, fed by GEMS primary campuses. A-Level focused, long history of KHDA Outstanding.

Brighton College Dubai

Al Barsha. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 64,175–105,773. Founded 2018. BSO/COBIS Outstanding 2025. ~1,500 pupils. *A-Level 2025: 52% A/A, 28% A, 80% A/B. GCSE 2024: 40% A/A.* All-through 3-to-18 structure for families coming from UK preps.

JESS Arabian Ranches

Arabian Ranches. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 54,129–104,544. Founded 1976. BSO Outstanding, COBIS, IAPS, HMC. ~750 pupils. Dual sixth form: IB DP and BTEC. IB DP 2025 average 37 to 38, 100% pass; GCSE 9-7 (2023-24) 77%; BTEC 85% Distinction. HMC and IAPS membership is unusually robust for Dubai.

Repton School Dubai

Nad Al Sheba. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 57,178–102,753. Founded 2007. BSO accredited, COBIS member. ~1,800 pupils. Sixth form is IB DP only. DP 36, 100% pass; GCSE 4-9: 94%. Boarding alongside day.

GEMS Wellington International School (WIS)

Al Sufouh. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 47,527–103,399. Founded 2005. BSO Outstanding, COBIS Patron's Accreditation (Beacon Status). ~2,900 pupils. Dual sixth form across A-Level and IB DP. IB DP 35, 98% pass in 2024. Larger than JESS or Brighton at senior; better subject breadth, lower per-pupil intimacy.

Kings' School Al Barsha

Al Barsha South 1. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 57,999–105,873. Founded 2014. BSO (March 2022), BSME, COBIS. ~3,000 pupils. *GCSE 2023: 44% A-A, 92% A-C.* Senior-results history shorter than Dubai College or Jumeirah College, but the inspection holds.

The top tier, IB DP

Selective demand, multiple inspection layers, published DP averages of 35 or higher against the global 30.32.

NLCS Dubai

Nad Al Sheba. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 91,735–143,681. Founded 2017. BSO accredited, KHDA Outstanding. ~1,600 pupils. The highest-fee school in the emirate. Full PYP + MYP + DP continuum; DP is the only sixth form route. 2025 DP average 36.8, 2024 and 2023 at 37.2, 2022 at 38.1, 2021 at 40.1.

Sunmarke School

Jumeirah Village Triangle. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 53,040–88,538. Founded 2016. BSO Outstanding 2023. ~2,000 pupils. Fortes Education campus. DP 36.5 in 2024-25, plus *A-Level 53% A/A, 78% A/B, GCSE 55% 9-7*. Sixth form runs IB DP, IB CP and A-Level in parallel.

DIA Emirates Hills

Emirates Hills. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 44,979–79,696. Founded 2005. KHDA. ~1,800 pupils. The original Dubai IB school. DP average 35.25 in 2024, 100% pass rate. Full PYP + MYP + DP + CP continuum. The Al Barsha sister sits a tier below.

Swiss International Scientific School (SISD)

Al Jaddaf. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 60,834–114,268. Founded 2017. KHDA Very Good, IB World School. ~2,600 pupils. Bilingual is the proposition: English + French or English + German Swiss bilingual streams through DP. *2025 DP average 34.4, 96% pass; A-Level 37% A/A; IGCSE 90% A-C.* The closest local equivalent to a continental European DP.

GEMS World Academy

Al Barsha. Ages 2 to 18. Fees AED 71,113–123,442. Founded 2008. CIS, NEASC. ~2,000 pupils. GEMS' full PYP + MYP + DP flagship. DP 34 in 2024, 100% pass. The CIS-NEASC pair is the deeper inspection layer.

The top tier, American / AP

Smaller pool than the British or IB tiers, anchored by a single US-curriculum flagship.

American School of Dubai (ASD)

Al Barsha. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 60,571–102,303. Founded 1966. MSA-CESS, CIS. ~2,100 pupils. The American secondary anchor in Dubai. Around 730 high-school students, 25 AP courses on offer. Genuine US-college pathway with SAT, AP and a US transcript at 18.

GEMS Dubai American Academy (DAA)

Al Barsha. Ages 4 to 18. Fees AED 66,185–93,300. Founded 1998. CIS, NEASC, Apple Distinguished School. ~3,100 pupils. American spine at primary and middle, then IB DP at sixth form rather than AP. DP 35 in 2022; AP pass rate 2025 90%. In practice a strong IB DP school over an American base.

Universal American School (UAS)

Festival City. Ages 3 to 18. Fees AED 40,377–82,925. Founded 2005. CIS. ~1,500 pupils. American spine through Grade 10, then dual AP and IB DP at sixth form. DP 34 in 2024; AP 52.5% scoring 3 or above across 95 exams.

Strong mid-tier

Senior fees AED 40,000 to 80,000. KHDA Very Good or high Good. BSO or CIS layer present at most.

Regent International (Al Khail, AED 49,076–69,730, BSO Outstanding 2023): Fortes-operated. *IB DP 2024 average 38; A-Level 2024 52% A/A.** Punches above its fee bracket.
Deira International (Festival City, AED 44,616–89,889, BSO Outstanding 2025): Al-Futtaim. *IB DP 2025 34.2, 100% pass; GCSE 35% A/A.**
Nord Anglia Dubai (Al Barsha, AED 69,625–105,288, NEASC-CIE 2025): Four-track sixth form. *IB DP 33.1; IGCSE 90.2% A-C; A-Level 67% A/B; AP 54.2% at 4 or 5.*
DBS Emirates Hills (Emirates Hills, AED 53,027–79,541, BSO): *A-Level 2024-25: 51% A/A, 81% A/B, 100% pass.*
Hartland International (Nad Al Sheba, AED 48,781–92,803, COBIS): Sobha MBR City campus. Dual A-Level and IB DP.
Kent College Dubai (Nad Al Sheba, AED 37,430–100,256, BSO Outstanding): Sister of Kent College Canterbury. A-Level 2021 51% A*/A.
Dwight School Dubai (Sports City, AED 65,117–110,755, CIS + NEASC): Full continuum, 2025 DP 32.5.
The English College (Al Safa, AED 41,000–68,265, BSO + BSME): Independent, not-for-profit governance. A-Level 2024: 99% pass, 24% A*/A.
Horizon International (AED 38,832–73,124, BSO): *GCSE 2024: 99% A-C, 52% A-A.*
GEMS Modern Academy (Nad Al Sheba, AED 30,983–73,876, CIS): Indian-international IB continuum. KHDA Outstanding 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Best for A-Levels

Cleanest 2024-25 A-Level signal across the city. Small cohorts can flatter percentages.

Dubai College: 75% A*/A, 2025. The strongest absolute signal.
Brighton College Dubai: 52% A/A, 80% A/B, 2025.
Sunmarke: 53% A/A, 78% A/B, 2024-25.
Regent International: 52% A*/A, 2024.
DBS Emirates Hills: 51% A/A, 81% A/B, 2024-25.
The English College: 24% A/A, 55% A/B, 2024. Mid-tier fee anchor.

Best for IB DP

By published DP average and pass rate against a global May 2024 DP average of 30.32.

JESS Arabian Ranches: 37 to 38, 100% pass (2025).
NLCS Dubai: 36.8 (2025), 37.2 (2024 and 2023).
Sunmarke: 36.5 (2024-25).
Repton Dubai: 36, 100% pass (2024).
DIA Emirates Hills: 35.25, 100% pass (2024).
GEMS Wellington International: 35, 98% pass (2024).
SISD: 34.4, 96% pass (2025). The only bilingual DP.
Deira International: 34.2, 100% pass (2025).
GEMS World Academy: 34, 100% pass (2024).

At a glance

School	Area	Curriculum	Senior fees AED	Sixth form	KHDA tier	2025 headline
Dubai College	Al Sufouh	British	97,415–110,305	A-Level	Outstanding	A*/A 75% A-Level
NLCS Dubai	Nad Al Sheba	British + IB	91,735–143,681	IB DP	Outstanding	DP 36.8
Jumeirah College	Al Safa	British	78,946–98,681	A-Level	Outstanding	BSO Outstanding
Brighton College Dubai	Al Barsha	British	64,175–105,773	A-Level	Outstanding	A*/A 52% A-Level
JESS Arabian Ranches	Arabian Ranches	British + IB	54,129–104,544	IB DP + BTEC	Outstanding	DP 37–38, HMC
Repton Dubai	Nad Al Sheba	British + IB	57,178–102,753	IB DP	Outstanding	DP 36, 100% pass
GEMS Wellington Intl	Al Sufouh	British + IB	47,527–103,399	A-Level + IB DP	Outstanding	DP 35, COBIS Beacon
Sunmarke	JVT	British + IB	53,040–88,538	A-Level + IB DP/CP	Very Good	DP 36.5
Kings' Al Barsha	Al Barsha	British	57,999–105,873	A-Level	Very Good	GCSE 44% A*/A
American School of Dubai	Al Barsha	American	60,571–102,303	AP	Very Good	25 AP courses
DIA Emirates Hills	Emirates Hills	IB	44,979–79,696	IB DP + CP	Very Good	DP 35.25
GEMS World Academy	Al Barsha	IB	71,113–123,442	IB DP	Very Good	DP 34, CIS + NEASC
SISD	Al Jaddaf	IB + Swiss	60,834–114,268	IB DP + A-Level	Very Good	DP 34.4 bilingual
GEMS Dubai American	Al Barsha	American + IB	66,185–93,300	IB DP + AP	Very Good	DP 35, AP 90% pass
Universal American	Festival City	American + IB	40,377–82,925	IB DP + AP	Very Good	DP 34, AP 52.5% 3+
Deira International	Festival City	British + IB	44,616–89,889	IB DP	Very Good	BSO Outstanding 2025
Nord Anglia Dubai	Al Barsha	British + IB	69,625–105,288	DP / A-Level / AP / IGCSE	Good	Four-track sixth form
Hartland	Nad Al Sheba	British	48,781–92,803	A-Level + IB DP	Very Good	MBR City campus
Regent International	Al Khail	British	49,076–69,730	A-Level + IB DP	Very Good	DP 38 in 2024
DBS Emirates Hills	Emirates Hills	British	53,027–79,541	A-Level	Very Good	A*/A 51% 2024-25
The English College	Al Safa	British	41,000–68,265	A-Level	Good	Not-for-profit
GEMS Modern Academy	Nad Al Sheba	IB	30,983–73,876	IB DP	Outstanding	KHDA Outstanding

Fees are 2025-26 top-year ranges as published. AED to USD at the pegged 3.67 rate. KHDA tier is the most recent DSIB rating; verify current before committing.

The age labels and exit points

The label depends on the track.

British schools run Key Stage 3 (Year 7 to 9, ages 11 to 14), Key Stage 4 (Year 10 to 11, ages 14 to 16) ending in IGCSE (Cambridge International, Pearson Edexcel, Oxford AQA), then Key Stage 5 (Year 12 to 13, ages 16 to 18) ending in A-Levels or the IB Diploma. Many premium schools dual-track at sixth form: JESS, Wellington, Repton, Hartland, Nord Anglia, Sunmarke, Regent. Dubai College, Brighton, Jumeirah College, Kings' Al Barsha, DBS Emirates Hills and English College commit to A-Level only.

American schools run Middle School (Grades 6 to 8) and High School (Grades 9 to 12, ages 14 to 18) ending in a US transcript, SAT and AP. ASD is the long-established American flagship; DAA runs IB DP at sixth form despite the brand; Universal American runs dual AP and IB DP.

IB schools run the MYP from ages 11 to 16 (eight subject groups, Personal Project) then the DP from ages 16 to 19 (six subjects across three HL and three SL, plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS, graded out of 45). MYP execution varies significantly between schools, so the inspection layer matters more than the IB authorisation alone.

Bilingual secondary through to DP runs at SISD (English + French or English + German) and Lycée Français Jean Mermoz (AEFE French baccalauréat alongside IB and Cambridge). The other premium schools deliver secondary in English.

How to choose between them

Every school here is inspected by KHDA, so the decision rarely turns on regulator presence. Fit decides.

Sixth-form route is the most consequential call at 14 to 16, because it sets the qualification at 18. A-Level only: Dubai College, Brighton, Jumeirah College, DBS Emirates Hills, English College. IB DP only: Repton, NLCS, Deira International, DAA, DIA Emirates Hills, GEMS World Academy. Dual A-Level and IB DP: Wellington, JESS, Sunmarke, Regent, Hartland. Four-track: Nord Anglia. AP-focused: ASD. The IB vs A-Levels comparison covers the call in detail.

Selectivity. Dubai College is selective at 11+; the waitlist is the binding constraint. Jumeirah College and Brighton sit in a similar band on intake. Mid-tier schools spread wider on ability.

Location and traffic. Nad Al Sheba to Jumeirah is 45 minutes on a normal morning. Clusters: Al Sufouh and Umm Suqeim (Dubai College, Wellington); Al Barsha (Brighton, Kings' Al Barsha, Nord Anglia, ASD, GWA, DAA); Nad Al Sheba and MBR City (NLCS, Repton, Hartland, Kent, GEMS Modern); Emirates Hills (DIA, DBS); Jumeirah and Al Safa (Jumeirah College, English College); Arabian Ranches and Al Khail (JESS, Regent); Festival City and inland (Deira International, UAS, Sunmarke, Horizon).

Fee band. AED 90,000-plus reaches the absolute top (Dubai College, NLCS, GEMS World Academy). AED 60,000 to 90,000 covers the established premium tier and most BSO Outstanding campuses. AED 40,000 to 60,000 covers the strong mid-tier. KHDA tier is on the KHDA inspection report site; a school can be KHDA Outstanding without BSO Outstanding, and vice versa.

FAQs

Which is the best secondary school in Dubai?

By absolute A-Level signal, Dubai College: 75% A*/A at A-Level 2025, average GCSE grade 8.4, 97% to university. By absolute IB DP signal, JESS Arabian Ranches at 37 to 38 (2025), with NLCS Dubai at 36.8 and Sunmarke at 36.5.

When does secondary start in Dubai?

British schools: Year 7 at age 11 (KS3). American schools: Grade 6 at age 11. IB schools: MYP at age 11. All three converge at age 18 with A-Levels, the IB DP, or AP and a US transcript.

Which Dubai secondary schools offer A-Levels only?

Dubai College, Brighton College Dubai, Jumeirah College, Kings' Al Barsha, DBS Emirates Hills, Horizon International and The English College commit to A-Level only at sixth form.

Which Dubai secondary schools offer IB DP only?

NLCS Dubai, Repton Dubai, Deira International, GEMS World Academy, DIA Emirates Hills, GEMS Dubai American Academy and Dwight School Dubai run IB DP as the only sixth form route. JESS Arabian Ranches runs IB DP with a BTEC option.

How do KHDA ratings work for secondary?

KHDA inspects every Dubai private school annually through the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB). Each receives a single headline rating from Outstanding through Very Weak, with attainment and progress strands for English, Maths, Science, Arabic and Islamic Education. Secondary (post-16 Phase 4) is reported separately. Current ratings sit on the KHDA inspection reports site.

Sources: school websites, KHDA inspection reports via the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau, BSO inspection summaries via the UK Department for Education school register, IBO global DP statistics (May 2024 worldwide DP average 30.32), and ISG verified profile data. Fee figures are 2025-26 top-year ranges as published by each school. Verify the current KHDA rating directly on the KHDA inspection reports site before committing.