IB Results in Dubai

Dubai is the largest IB market in the Gulf and second-biggest in the Middle East. Around forty schools deliver some part of the IB across PYP, MYP, DP or the Career-related Programme. The Diploma is the number most parents are asking about, because it produces a single comparable points figure that travels worldwide.

The May 2024 worldwide DP average was 30.32 points on a 45-point scale. A Dubai school publishing 35 or higher is in the global top quartile. A 38 average is exceptional anywhere in the world. NLCS, JESS, Sunmarke and Repton all sit at or above 36.

DP fees in Dubai range from AED 35,000 (around USD 9,500) at Philadelphia Private to AED 144,000 (USD 39,150) at NLCS. The points figure does not move linearly with fees: the cheapest school on this list publishes a 35.2, the most expensive a 36.8.

Ranked by published DP average

Top eight in detail. The remaining schools that publish a numeric DP average sit in the comparison table below, with a short note on each.

1. JESS Arabian Ranches: 37 to 38 (2025)

Jumeirah English Speaking School Arabian Ranches. 2025 DP average 37 to 38. Pass rate 100%. Fees AED 54,129 to 104,544. BSO Outstanding, HMC and IAPS membership. Sixth Form is dual track over an English National Curriculum and IGCSE spine. The only Dubai school with HMC and IAPS membership alongside IB authorisation, and the strongest DP result in the city.

2. Regent International: 38 (2024)

Regent International School, Al Khail. *2024 DP average 38. A-Level 52% A/A.** Fees AED 49,076 to 69,730. BSO Outstanding 2023. Dual A-Level and IB DP Sixth Form. The 38 sits above the school's fee bracket on a single published year; preceding cohorts ran A-Level rather than DP. Track the next two cohorts before treating the 38 as the level.

3. NLCS Dubai: 36.8 (2025)

North London Collegiate School Dubai, Nad Al Sheba. 2025 DP 36.8. 2024 and 2023 at 37.2. 2022 at 38.1. 2021 at 40.1. Fees AED 91,735 to 143,681. BSO accredited, KHDA Outstanding. The longest published DP track record in Dubai. The 2021 peak reflects global COVID grading. NLCS runs DP-only at Sixth Form over a full PYP plus MYP plus DP continuum: the only Dubai school combining the full continuum with this DP average.

4. Sunmarke School: 36.5 (2024-25)

Sunmarke School, Jumeirah Village Triangle. 2024-25 DP 36.5. Alongside: *A-Level 53% A/A, 78% A/B, 100% pass. GCSE 55% 9-7, 95% 9-4.* Fees AED 53,040 to 88,538. BSO Outstanding 2023. IB DP, IB CP and A-Level run in parallel; the DP figure reflects the cohort that chose IB, not the whole Sixth Form. Strong on both tracks.

5. Repton School Dubai: 36 (2024)

Repton School Dubai, Nad Al Sheba. DP 36, pass rate 100%. GCSE 94% at 4-9. Fees AED 57,178 to 102,753. BSO accredited. Sixth Form is IB DP only, the structural choice that most distinguishes Repton from a Dubai College or Brighton path. A top-tier number without the multi-pathway averaging.

6. DIA Emirates Hills: 35.25 (2024)

Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills. 2024 DP 35.25. Pass rate 100%. Fees AED 44,979 to 79,696. KHDA Very Good. The original Dubai IB school. Full PYP plus MYP plus DP plus CP continuum. The Al Barsha sister campus is a tier below on published DP signal.

7. Philadelphia Private School: 35.2 (2025, inaugural)

Philadelphia Private School Dubai, Al Qusais. 2025 inaugural DP cohort: 35.2 average, 67% scoring 36 or higher. Alongside: 92% of AP scores at 3 or above, 57% at 4-5. Fees AED 19,517 to 35,160. NEASC. Premium-band results at affordable-band fees. The school does not carry the BSO or COBIS layer most premium IB campuses hold, and a single cohort is a thin trend base. The number itself is real.

8. GEMS Wellington International: 35 (2024)

GEMS Wellington International School, Al Sufouh. 2024 DP 35, pass rate 98%. Fees AED 47,527 to 103,399. BSO Outstanding, COBIS Patron's Accreditation (Beacon Status). Dual A-Level and IB DP Sixth Form. Beacon is the top COBIS membership tier and rare in Dubai. Larger Sixth Form than JESS, Sunmarke or Repton; broader subject choice on a less intimate cohort.

The next twelve

The remaining schools that publish a numeric DP average:

• GEMS Dubai American Academy (Al Barsha, AED 66,185-93,300): DP 35 in 2022, AP 90% pass 2025. American-first; AP is the active track in current school communications, the DP figure has not been refreshed publicly since 2022.
• SISD (Al Jaddaf, AED 60,834-114,268): *2025 DP 34.4, pass rate 96%; A-Level 37% A/A; IGCSE 90% A-C.* Bilingual English plus French and English plus German streams through the DP. The closest local equivalent to a continental European DP.
• Deira International (Festival City, AED 44,616-89,889): *2025 DP 34.2, pass rate 100%; GCSE 35% A/A.** BSO Outstanding 2025. Al-Futtaim group. Sixth Form is IB DP only over a British primary spine.
• GEMS World Academy (Al Barsha, AED 71,113-123,442): 2024 DP 34, pass rate 100%. CIS plus NEASC. GEMS' full PYP plus MYP plus DP continuum flagship; fees near the top of the table, DP signal lower than NLCS, JESS or DIA Emirates Hills.
• Universal American School (Festival City, AED 40,377-82,925): 2024 DP 34. AP 52.5% scoring 3 or above across 95 exams. CIS. American spine through Grade 10, then dual AP and IB DP at Sixth Form.
• Nord Anglia Dubai (Al Barsha, AED 69,625-105,288): *DP 33.1, pass rate 94%; IGCSE 90.2% A-C, 50% A/A; AP 54.2% at 4 or 5; A-Level 67% A/B.** Four Sixth Form streams. The published DP figure dates from 2017-18 and has not been refreshed publicly.
• Uptown International (Mirdif, AED 31,145-78,420): 2025 DP 33, pass rate 100%; IB CP 100% pass. CIS. Full PYP plus MYP plus DP plus CP continuum.
• Greenfield International (Green Community, AED 34,470-82,865): DP 33, highest 43, 31% scoring 35-plus; CP 100% pass. CIS plus NEASC. Full continuum.
• Dwight School Dubai (Dubai Sports City, AED 65,117-110,755): 2025 DP 32.5. CIS plus NEASC. American-international register; full PYP plus MYP plus DP plus CP continuum on a smaller cohort than the GEMS or DIA campuses.
• EIS Meadows (The Meadows, AED 28,990-85,976): DP 32 across 2023-25; 34 in 2022; 35 in 2021. The downward drift since 2021 tracks the global return from COVID grading. MYP 39 against the global 37.3 is the more positive signal here.
• EIS Jumeirah (AED 38,636-81,872): 2025 DP 32. Sister to EIS Meadows; published average for the most recent year only.
• Fairgreen International (Sustainable City, AED 49,400-84,500): 2024 DP 32. 2023 DP 31, 100% pass, highest 38. CIS plus MSA-CESS. Full continuum. Sustainability brief is the distinctive line.

At a glance

Fees are 2025-26 top-year ranges as published by each school. KHDA tier moves annually; verify the current rating before committing. AED to USD at the pegged 3.67 rate. Where two cohorts are published, the most recent is shown.

How to read these numbers

The global benchmark is 30.32 points (May 2024). Every school on this page beats it. The interesting gap is between schools at 32 and schools at 37: a five-point spread on a 45-point scale is the difference between a competitive UK university application and a Russell Group offer for a borderline subject.

The pass rate moves separately from the average. A 100% pass with a 32 average means every candidate cleared the 24-point threshold and the distribution clustered just above it. A 94% pass with a 36 average means one or two failures pulled the headline down while the rest of the cohort scored well. Pass tells you how many candidates cleared the bar; the average tells you how high they sat above it.

Selection matters. Schools that filter DP entry through an IGCSE minimum (Repton, JESS, Sunmarke, NLCS) produce higher averages because weaker students route to A-Level, BTEC or the IB CP. Continuum schools that take all-comers publish lower averages on wider distributions. Cohort size and entry policy determine whether two averages compare cleanly.

Cohort size matters. A 38 on twelve students is a different signal from a 38 on a hundred and twenty. Dubai schools rarely publish cohort numbers alongside the average. NLCS Dubai's 2025 cohort sits in the low hundreds; JESS Arabian Ranches in the mid double-digits; Philadelphia Private's inaugural cohort smaller still.

KHDA is the local frame, not an accreditation. Every Dubai private school is inspected annually under the DSIB framework and rated Outstanding through Very Weak. KHDA covers the whole school across leadership, teaching, students and outcomes; the IB DP average is one input among many. It sits alongside any CIS, NEASC, BSO or COBIS layer a school holds.

The trend is more informative than any single year. NLCS's five-year series (36.8, 37.2, 37.2, 38.1, 40.1) tells a different story from Regent's single 38. The 2021 cohort everywhere reflects COVID grading and is not the baseline; the 2024 and 2025 cohorts are the most reliable comparison.

Schools with no public DP results

IB-authorised in Dubai, no numeric DP average currently published.

• Raffles World Academy (Umm Suqeim, AED 33,544-87,990): 100% DP pass 2024, no points average. CIS member.
• DIA Al Barsha (AED 47,807-84,928): 100% DP pass, no points average. Sister to DIA Emirates Hills.
• Dar Al Marefa (AED 39,917-81,880): 100% DP pass, highest score 42/45, no cohort average. 86% Emirati cohort, full PYP plus MYP plus DP continuum.
• Ambassador International (Al Quoz, AED 34,015-74,500): MYP 41.03 against the global 39.36 for 2024, 100% MYP pass. First DP cohort pending.
• Bloom World Academy (Al Barsha, AED 50,000-85,000): MYP 44 average, highest 49. Recent first DP cohort.
• GEMS Modern Academy (Nad Al Sheba, AED 30,983-73,876): KHDA Outstanding 2022-23 and 2023-24, Indian-international IB continuum.
• Jumeira Baccalaureate School (Jumeira, AED 43,325-91,840): 99% DP pass, no points average.
• Collegiate International (Umm Suqeim, AED 39,478-70,630): 100% graduation, no DP points average.
• Lycée Français Jean Mermoz (Nad Al Sheba, AED 46,350-84,460): AEFE French baccalauréat is primary; IB DP runs alongside without a published average.
• Hartland International (Nad Al Sheba, AED 48,781-92,803), Brighton College Dubai (Al Barsha), GEMS Wellington Academy Al Khail, GEMS Al Khaleej International (Al Warqa, AED 30,675-63,457): A-Level or AP-led Sixth Forms; IB DP authorisation present at some, but the publish line is the A-Level or AP results.

A pass rate without a points average is a partial disclosure: cleared the 24-point threshold, but not how far above. The strong MYP schools (Ambassador, Bloom) are flagging depth in middle years; the DP signal arrives once first cohorts sit the exam.

Related reading

• Best international schools in Dubai (pillar)
• Best IB schools in Dubai
• What is the IB Diploma?
• IB HL vs SL

FAQs

Which Dubai school has the highest published DP average?

JESS Arabian Ranches at 37 to 38 (2025), 100% pass. NLCS Dubai at 36.8, Sunmarke at 36.5 and Repton at 36 sit close behind. Regent International published a 38 in 2024; verify the cohort size and the trend across years before treating a single-year figure as the level.

How does Dubai compare to the global IB average?

The May 2024 worldwide DP average was 30.32 points. Twenty Dubai schools publish DP averages of 32 or higher, fifteen at 33 or higher, eight at 35 or higher. Dubai sits above the global average across its IB market, with the strongest schools (JESS, NLCS, Sunmarke, Repton) clearing 36.

Why do some Dubai schools publish only a pass rate?

A pass rate tells admissions that candidates cleared 24 points; an average tells you how high. Schools that publish pass-only typically have smaller or newer cohorts (Dar Al Marefa, DIA Al Barsha, Raffles), or run multiple Sixth Form pathways where DP is one option among several (Hartland, GEMS Al Khaleej). Several strong MYP schools (Ambassador, Bloom World Academy) are still waiting on their first DP cohorts.

What is a "good" DP score for university applications?

Russell Group universities in the UK typically ask for 34 to 36 with named Higher Level grades. Oxford and Cambridge competitive courses ask for 38 to 40, often with specific HL scores of 7,7,6 or 7,6,6. US universities treat the DP as one input alongside SAT or ACT, essays and extracurriculars; the Ivies typically see DP totals of 38-plus on admitted profiles. Australian Group of Eight universities accept scores from the low 30s on most courses outside medicine and law.

Does KHDA tier track DP results?

Loosely. KHDA inspects the whole school across leadership, teaching, curriculum, students and outcomes; DP results are one outcome line among many. Most Dubai schools at KHDA Outstanding publish DP averages of 35 or higher (NLCS, JESS, Repton, Wellington); KHDA Very Good covers the 33 to 35 band; KHDA Good covers 32 to 33. The match is not exact, and a school's KHDA tier can move on inspection inputs unrelated to DP exam performance.

Are there bilingual IB Diploma routes in Dubai?

Yes. SISD runs Swiss English plus French and English plus German bilingual streams through the DP. Lycée Français Jean Mermoz runs the AEFE French baccalauréat alongside an IB pathway. The rest of the Dubai IB market delivers the DP in English.

Sources: school websites and published results pages, KHDA inspection reports, IBO authorisation register, BSO inspection summaries via the UK Department for Education school register, and ISG verified profile data. Fee figures are 2025-26 top-year ranges as published by each school. AED to USD converted at the pegged 3.67 rate. IB DP averages reflect each school's most recent published cohort; verify directly with admissions before committing.