Cities / Abu Dhabi / Raha International School - Khalifa City Campus
Raha International School - Khalifa City Campus
Sister campus to Raha Gardens, full IB Continuum school in Khalifa City with grades 7-12; Grade 12 first opened September 2025.
In brief
The newer of the two Raha campuses. Opened 2020. Purpose-built and modern - parents talk about wide light-filled corridors, an 8-lane competition pool, double gym. If you've heard people rave about "Raha Gardens," this is the sleek younger sibling about 7 minutes away.
Full IB continuum (PYP, MYP, DP). The senior school is still maturing - the first full Grade 12 cohort only arrived in September 2025. Worth knowing if you have an older child.
What people genuinely like: - Inclusion. This comes up repeatedly. Strong support for kids with additional learning needs, and a culture that lets quieter, self-directed children find their feet. - Teachers and pastoral feel. According to one parent, the staff "inspired my child's love of learning" - and that sentiment shows up consistently. - Location. Khalifa City sits between the islands and the mainland, and the school commute often runs against rush-hour traffic.
What to ask about on the tour: - Sports. Facilities are excellent, but the competitive sports culture hasn't caught up to the hardware yet. Around a third of parents flag this. If your child is a serious athlete, probe it. - IB consistency in the secondary years. Because the upper school is brand new, some older students have said teachers can feel "new to the IB system." Ask about IBDP staff experience and DP results once the first cohort sits exams. - Which campus suits you. Gardens is the established, slightly more village-feel original. Khalifa City is the modern build. Same ethos, different vibe. Visit both.
Inspection-wise the school landed "Good" overall in its first ADEK inspection, with "Very Good" in several areas - a strong opening result for a school still growing into itself.
Net: a credible, well-run, modern IB school with a kind reputation. Best fit for families who value inclusion, IB philosophy and modern facilities, and who are comfortable being part of a senior school that's still bedding in.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| EY1 (Minis) | 3 | AED 41,550 |
| EY2 (KG2) | 4 | AED 43,630 |
| Grade 1-6 | 5 | AED 57,220 |
| Grade 7-12 | 11 | AED 65,500 |
Reviews
The newer of the two Raha campuses, opened in Khalifa City in 2020 under Taaleem and still sprinting toward its first full IB Diploma graduation. The building itself does a lot of the talking: purpose-built, light, an 8-lane competition pool, a double gymnasium. Inside, the picture is a school working through the usual growing pains of a fast-expanding IB continuum, with a new principal in his first international post and a Diploma programme that is only now reaching Grade 12.
Positives
- Modern, purpose-built campus. Wide corridors, light-filled hubs, an 8-lane competition pool, a double gym with an indoor running track, specialist design technology labs. Families consistently describe the facilities as a clear step up from the Gardens campus.
- Inclusion and pastoral care. Strong support for learners with ADHD and mild autism, an inclusion team parents describe as one of the stronger ones in the city. Bullying flagged as rare, and students report feeling safe and listened to.
- Community feel. Friendly, settled community among the mainly UAE, American and Indian families. New joiners say they were welcomed quickly, and student voice has a real channel into how the school runs.
- ADEK Good on first inspection. Khalifa City Campus was rated Good at its first ADEK inspection in February 2024, the highest practical band available to a school still building out its senior years.
Considerations
- IB Diploma still maturing. First Grade 11 cohort joined in 2024-25; Grade 12 opens in September 2025 and the first DP graduates land in 2026. There is no track record of results to compare against established IB schools in Abu Dhabi yet.
- Teacher experience with IB. Older students flag that some teachers are new to IB, with uneven delivery of the curriculum and inconsistent explanation of grading rubrics across subjects.
- Sport not competitive. Around a third of parents in the most recent survey rated the competitive sports offer as not competitive at all. The facilities are there; the fixture culture and squads have not caught up.
- Academic workload. Older students describe the IB workload as heavy and at times overwhelming, a pattern more pronounced in a Diploma programme that is still finding its rhythm.
- New principal, first international post. Mr. Peter Taylor took over for 2025-26, his first role outside the UK. Background is in single-academy-trust leadership in England; his stamp on the IB programme will only really show through the next two graduation cycles.
- Fees and value. Annual tuition runs roughly AED 41,550 to 65,500, mid-range for an IB school in Abu Dhabi. Parents weighing value tend to look at the facilities and inclusion strengths against the still-unproven Diploma results.
Leadership
Mr. Peter Taylor
Mr. Peter Taylor is an experienced educational leader who joined Raha International School, Khalifa City Campus as Principal in August 2025. Previously, he served as Principal of Audenshaw Secondary School in the UK and was the Chair of the Tameside Secondary Heads group. He holds a BA (Hons) in History and a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Mr. Taylor is a qualified history teacher and has served as a national assessor and facilitator for National Professional Qualifications (NPQs). His leadership focuses on academic rigour, student and staff wellbeing, and fostering global citizenship within the IB continuum.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
Academic results
- Result IB DP 2025 avg 33 pts
- Result 95% pass rate
- Result highest 43 pts