Top 10 International Schools in Abu Dhabi (2026)

The brief

Cranleigh, BSAK and ACS anchor the shortlist for almost every relocating family. Brighton, the Nord Anglia school in MBZ and Bateen round out the next tier.
ADEK is the regulator to know. Outstanding is the rating you want; eight of the schools below currently hold it. The reports are detailed and worth reading before any visit.
Fees for the leading English-medium schools sit at roughly USD 14,000 to USD 29,000 a year. Capital and registration fees are extra. By Dubai standards this is good value.
Geography matters less than in Dubai. Saadiyat, Khalifa City, Al Reem and Al Mushrif are all within 20 to 30 minutes of each other in normal traffic, and most schools run bus routes.
The popular entry points fill up. FS1, FS2, Year 7 and Year 12 at the top six schools draw waiting lists. Contact admissions four to six months out.

The top tier in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has a smaller, more concentrated international school market than Dubai. Fewer than thirty private schools matter for most relocating families, and ten of them sit clearly above the rest on a combination of ADEK rating, exam results, established intake and parent demand.

The leading anchors are Cranleigh and Brighton College on the British side, with the British School Al Khubairat holding the longest-established academic record. ACS Abu Dhabi is the American-curriculum benchmark. Nord Anglia's Abu Dhabi school is the only one in the city with double Outstanding from ADEK for 2025-26. Aldar Education is the dominant local operator and runs three of the ten schools below.

The ranking that follows weighs ADEK rating, 2025 exam results where published, institutional track record and the consistency of family demand. Fees are noted but did not drive placement.

The ranking

1. Cranleigh Abu Dhabi

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island is the school most newly arriving British and international families ask about first. Opened in 2014 as the sister school to Cranleigh in Surrey, it runs the English National Curriculum from FS1 to Year 13 and is rated Outstanding by both ADEK and BSO. Class sizes are capped at 18. The campus, athletics provision and pastoral structure are unusually strong for the region.

2025 results: *42% of A-Levels at A–A, 28% of IGCSE entries at grade 9. Around 1,300 students. Fees run AED 71,500 to AED 105,980 (roughly USD 19,500 to USD 28,900**), the highest of any school in the city. Cranleigh draws families to live on Saadiyat itself, both for the location and because Saadiyat now has the residential mass to support it.

2. British School Al Khubairat

BSAK is the longest-established British school in the city, founded in 1968 and operated as a not-for-profit by a parent-elected committee. FS1 to Year 13 in Al Mushrif, just inland from the Corniche. ADEK and BSO both rate it Outstanding. A-Level results in 2025 were *50% A–A and 72% A–B, with 60% of IGCSE entries at grades 9–7*. Genuinely strong by any international comparison.

Around 2,000 students. Fees of roughly AED 51,400 to AED 74,600 (USD 14,000 to USD 20,300) are noticeably below Saadiyat pricing, helped by the not-for-profit structure. The campus is older than Cranleigh's but well maintained. Demand at popular entry points is consistent.

3. American Community School Abu Dhabi

ACS Abu Dhabi is the established American-curriculum option, non-profit, on Saadiyat Island in a new campus opened in January 2024. Around 1,315 students from KG1 to Grade 12. Both Advanced Placement and the IB Diploma in the senior school. ADEK Outstanding. Accreditations include MSA, NEASC, CIS and IBO.

University outcomes are strong: the school reports around 87% of graduates accepted to one of their top three university choices. Fees run AED 56,500 to AED 99,100 (USD 15,400 to USD 27,000). Founded in 1972, ACS pre-dates most of the Saadiyat development by decades. Natural first call for American expat families and for IB families who want a Saadiyat campus.

4. Brighton College Abu Dhabi

Brighton College Abu Dhabi sits in Bloom Gardens, adjacent to Khalifa Park, the Abu Dhabi sister of Brighton College in Sussex. FS1 to Year 13 in the English National Curriculum. Outstanding by BSO in 2024, Very Good by ADEK in 2025. A-Level results in 2025 were *44% A–A and 68% A–B, with 72% of GCSE entries at grades 9–7*.

Around 1,850 students. Fees of AED 50,800 to AED 80,800 (USD 13,800 to USD 22,000) sit below Cranleigh's. The campus pulls from central Abu Dhabi and from Khalifa City, and the location is one of the more genuinely central of the major international schools.

5. Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi

Nord Anglia's Abu Dhabi school on Al Reem Island is the strongest IB Diploma result in the city. 2025 results: average score of 39.8 points with a 92% pass rate, and 24% of the cohort scoring above 40. IGCSE: *93% at grades A–C. The school holds double ADEK Outstanding (including National Identity) for 2025-26**, the only international school in Abu Dhabi to do so.

Around 1,000 students. Fees run AED 65,000 to AED 95,000 (USD 17,700 to USD 25,900). Opened in 2017, so the senior-school track record is shorter than Cranleigh's or BSAK's, but the recent results put it clearly in the top tier. CIS and NEASC accredited.

6. Bateen World Academy

Bateen World Academy in Al Manaseer is the most distinctive curriculum offering in the city. The only school in Abu Dhabi running the full IB Continuum: PYP, IGCSE, IB Diploma and the IB Career-related Programme. ADEK Outstanding as of 2025. The 2024 IB Diploma average was 34.3 against a global average of about 30.5, with a 97% pass rate.

Around 1,030 students, smaller than the larger campuses. Fees run AED 54,000 to AED 75,300 (USD 14,700 to USD 20,500). Aldar Education operated. Merits a look if your child is genuinely IB-routed or if the Career-related Programme is of interest, and the location suits families in the older central districts.

7. Yasmina British Academy

Yasmina British Academy is the largest British school in the city by enrolment, with around 3,600 students in Khalifa City. FS1 to Year 13. Outstanding by both ADEK and BSO (May 2023). Roughly half the student body is Emirati, which gives the school a different community feel from the more expat-dominated alternatives. The campus is good, with a 650-seat auditorium and the High Performance Learning framework embedded.

2025 results: 13% of GCSEs at grade 9, 43% at grades 7–9, 85% pass rate across more than a thousand entries. Fees run AED 49,700 to AED 67,300 (USD 13,500 to USD 18,300). Aldar Education operated. Makes sense if you are based in Khalifa City and want a British-curriculum school with strong regulatory ratings and a genuinely mixed community.

8. Muna British Academy

Muna British Academy is an Aldar Education school on Saadiyat Lagoons, currently FS1 to Year 8 and expanding year on year through to Year 13 by 2031-32. Around 935 students. Outstanding by ADEK consecutively since 2015-16. TIMSS 2023 scores were unusually high: maths 615, science 603 against international medians around 500. First school in Abu Dhabi to hold the Estidama Pearl 5 sustainability rating.

Fees run AED 50,900 to AED 66,500 (USD 13,900 to USD 18,100). Natural choice for families with younger children on Saadiyat who want a primary-led environment, and the upper-school expansion means most families will not need to switch schools later.

9. GEMS American Academy Abu Dhabi

GEMS American Academy in Khalifa City is the larger commercial American-curriculum alternative to ACS. Around 1,800 students from FS1 to Grade 12. Both AP and the IB Diploma at the senior end. CIS and NEASC accredited. The 2024 IB Diploma average was 38 points, well above the global average. PISA Mathematical Literacy score of 548.

Fees run AED 57,900 to AED 80,600 (USD 15,800 to USD 22,000). GEMS operates at scale across the region; the practical implication is breadth of programme and operational consistency rather than smaller-school intimacy. Natural fit for American-curriculum families based in Khalifa City or Yas Island.

10. Repton Foundation School (Rose Campus)

Repton Foundation School (Rose Campus) is the Cognita-operated EYFS and lower-primary school on Al Reem Island, FS1 to Year 2 only. Selective entry. Around 500 students. ADEK Outstanding 2024-25 and BSO Outstanding 2023. First Apple Distinguished School in the Middle East.

Fees run AED 62,600 to AED 69,400 (USD 17,100 to USD 18,900), which is high for the age range but reflects the selective intake and the operational standard. A niche option for families who want the smallest possible early-years environment and are prepared to plan a transfer at age 7. A school to know about rather than to default to.

At a glance

School	Curriculum	Ages	ADEK rating	Fees range (USD)	Area
Cranleigh Abu Dhabi	British	3–18	Outstanding	19,500–28,900	Saadiyat Island
British School Al Khubairat	British	3–18	Outstanding	14,000–20,300	Al Mushrif
American Community School	American, IB	4–18	Outstanding	15,400–27,000	Saadiyat Island
Brighton College Abu Dhabi	British	3–18	Very Good	13,800–22,000	Bloom Gardens
Nord Anglia Abu Dhabi	British, IB	3–18	Outstanding	17,700–25,900	Al Reem Island
Bateen World Academy	IB, British	3–18	Outstanding	14,700–20,500	Al Manaseer
Yasmina British Academy	British	2–18	Outstanding	13,500–18,300	Khalifa City
Muna British Academy	British	3–13	Outstanding	13,900–18,100	Saadiyat Island
GEMS American Academy	American, IB	3–18	Very Good	15,800–22,000	Khalifa City
Repton Rose Campus	British	3–7	Outstanding	17,100–18,900	Al Reem Island

Fees converted at AED 3.67 = USD 1. Capital and registration fees are extra. Verify current figures with each school.

How this list was built

This is an editorial ranking, not a statistical model. Five factors went into placement.

ADEK rating. The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge inspects every private school every year or two and publishes the rating: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable, Weak. Eight of the ten schools above hold Outstanding for the most recent cycle. The two rated Very Good (Brighton College, GEMS American Academy) sit on the list for other reasons that the rating alone does not capture, including 2025 exam results and established intake.

Published 2025 exam results. A-Level percentages, IGCSE grade distributions, IB Diploma averages and pass rates where the school publishes them. The IB averages at Nord Anglia (39.8), GEMS American Academy (38) and Bateen (34.3) all sit comfortably above the global average of about 30.5. Cranleigh, BSAK and Brighton publish detailed A-Level and IGCSE percentages.

Institutional track record. BSAK has been in Abu Dhabi since 1968 and ACS since 1972. Cranleigh, Brighton, GEMS American Academy and Bateen all have more than a decade of operating history. Nord Anglia is the newest of the senior-school operators (opened 2017) but moved into the top tier on results.

Curriculum credibility. All ten hold recognised accreditation: BSO, ADEK Outstanding, CIS, NEASC, MSA, IBO or COBIS. None of them is brand-only.

Consistency of family demand. The schools that come up first in admissions conversations among relocating families, and that show waiting lists at the popular entry points.

Schools deliberately excluded include early-years-only campuses without a credible upper-school plan, schools without published recent results, and large groups operating campuses where the regulatory rating did not reach Very Good in the most recent cycle.

How to use this list

Three of the ten (Cranleigh, BSAK, ACS) are the schools most families settle on once tours are done. Two more (Brighton, Nord Anglia) are the strongest second choices, especially for families settling east of the city or wanting the strongest published IB outcome. Bateen is the option for IB-committed families. Yasmina and Muna are the natural fits for Khalifa City and Saadiyat families respectively who want Aldar's operational standard. GEMS American Academy is the larger American alternative to ACS. Repton Rose is a specialist early-years option.

The rest of the city has plenty of solid schools that did not make the top ten, including Raha International, both campuses of which run the full IB Continuum, and Canadian International School in MBZ. Those appear on the city pillar and on the relevant sub-pillar lists.

The Saadiyat-to-Khalifa-City school run in the 7:30–8:30 morning window can take longer than the map suggests. Where you live and where your school is end up reinforcing each other, so a school visit is also a neighbourhood visit.

FAQs

Which Abu Dhabi school has the strongest 2025 exam results? On A-Level outcomes, BSAK leads with 50% A–A and 72% A–B in 2025. On IB Diploma, Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi posted a 39.8 average with a 92% pass rate and 24% of the cohort above 40 points. GEMS American Academy's 2024 IB average of 38 is also above the global average. Cranleigh's 2025 A-Levels were 42% A*–A and 28% of IGCSE entries at grade 9.

Why is Brighton College ranked Very Good rather than Outstanding by ADEK? ADEK rated Brighton College Very Good in its 2025 inspection cycle, having been Outstanding by BSO in 2024. The split is normal across the leading schools and reflects the different inspection frameworks: BSO assesses against UK independent-school standards, ADEK against its own framework which includes National Identity and Arabic. Brighton remains on this list because the 2025 A-Level and GCSE outcomes, the long-established intake and the central location justify the position.

Is there a Saadiyat-only shortlist? Three of the ten schools above are on Saadiyat: Cranleigh, ACS and Muna British Academy. If location-only is the driver, those are the three. Brighton College, Nord Anglia and Bateen are all under 25 minutes from Saadiyat in normal traffic and worth visiting if the Saadiyat-only schools are full at your entry point.

How do these schools compare on fees with Dubai? Cheaper. A like-for-like Dubai equivalent (Dubai College, Repton Dubai, Kings' Al Barsha) sits 10 to 25 percent higher at the same year groups. Cranleigh at AED 105,980 in the senior school is the closest any Abu Dhabi school comes to Dubai top-tier pricing, and even that sits below Dubai College's senior fees. ADEK regulates fee increases and a school needs ADEK approval to pass one on.

When should I contact admissions? Four to six months before your intended start date for the popular entry points (FS1, FS2, Year 7, Year 12) at Cranleigh, BSAK, ACS, Brighton, Nord Anglia and Bateen. Some families on corporate packages contact schools before the country decision is finalised. Waiting list positions move through the year as offers are accepted or declined, so a school that is full in March may have movement by June. Confirm directly with each admissions office.

Fees correct as of June 2026. Exchange rate: approximately AED 3.67 per USD 1. ADEK ratings and exam results sourced from school publications and the ADEK regulator's published reports. We work hard to make every figure, date and description on this page accurate. We don't always get it right. If you spot an error, please tell us. We'll check it and update the article.