Cities / Dubai / Dubai International Academy Al Barsha (DIA)
Dubai International Academy Al Barsha (DIA)
IB World School on a 23-acre Al Barsha campus, founded 2018 by Innoventures on the former GEMS Dubai American Academy site, running all four IB programmes from Pre-KG to Grade 12.
In brief
Founded in 2018 by Innoventures Education Group, DIA Al Barsha took over the former GEMS Dubai American Academy site, creating a purpose-built IB campus serving Pre-KG through Grade 12. The school offers all four IB programmes - Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme with 21 subject options, and Career-related Programme - with plans to add BTEC technical streams. The 23-acre campus near Mall of the Emirates features sustainable elements including greenhouses and bee hives, a 400-seat auditorium, dedicated arts studios, and collaborative learning spaces designed for up to 3,000 students at full capacity.
With approximately 1,800 students representing over 90 nationalities and a teaching staff of 118 teachers plus 17 assistants, the school maintains favorable class sizes while building toward full enrollment. The school offers scholarships for high performers in academics, sports, and performing arts, and has partnered with the Centre for Musical Arts to strengthen its performing arts programme. Teacher discussions suggest DIA Al Barsha falls into the category of schools with challenging student behavior typical of Dubai's diverse international school environment, though specific academic outcomes and IB results aren't widely reported compared to the founding Emirates Hills campus.
Strengths
- Full IB continuum from PYP through Diploma Programme with 21 DP subject options
- Purpose-built 23-acre campus with modern facilities and sustainable features
- Diverse student body with 90+ nationalities represented
- Scholarships available for academic, sports, and performing arts excellence
- Part of established Innoventures network with sister school holding Outstanding rating
- Growing enrollment indicating parent confidence in the school
- Strong arts programme through Centre for Musical Arts partnership
Considerations
- Very Good KHDA rating rather than Outstanding status achieved by peer schools
- Relatively new school (2018) still building its track record and reputation
- Teacher discussions suggest challenging student behavior typical of Dubai schools
- No specific IB Diploma Programme results or university placement data publicly available
- Located in highly competitive Al Barsha school cluster with established alternatives
- Still growing toward full capacity, indicating the school community is developing
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Pre KG | 3 | AED 47,807 |
| KG1 | 3 | AED 53,582 |
| KG2 | 4 | AED 56,237 |
| Grade 1 | 6 | AED 62,163 |
| Grade 2 | 7 | AED 62,163 |
| Grade 3 | 8 | AED 62,608 |
| Grade 4 | 9 | AED 62,608 |
| Grade 5 | 10 | AED 62,608 |
| Grade 6 | 11 | AED 70,635 |
| Grade 7 | 12 | AED 70,635 |
| Grade 8 | 13 | AED 70,635 |
| Grade 9 | 14 | AED 78,170 |
| Grade 10 | 15 | AED 78,170 |
| Grade 11 | 16 | AED 84,928 |
| Grade 12 | 17 | AED 84,928 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance Test Fee | AED 525 |
Reviews
A still-young IB-continuum school that has climbed quickly. KHDA moved from Good in the first two cycles to Very Good in 2023-24 and held it in 2024-25, with parent and community relations rated Outstanding. Ian Thurston arrived from the group's older Emirates Hills campus, where he ran an Outstanding school, and the trajectory under him is the main thing parents talk about. IB results sit in the mid-30s with a 100% pass rate in 2025, behind the Dubai IB pacesetters but well above the global average. The reservations are predictable for a Dubai school in this price band: fees, buses, and Al Barsha traffic at pickup.
Positives
- Trajectory under current leadership. Steady year-on-year movement up the KHDA scale since opening in 2018, with the parent-and-community strand pulled out as Outstanding in the latest cycle. Parents single out open culture, inclusion, and the principal being visible.
- Full IB continuum. PYP through DP on a single 23-acre purpose-built site, with the Career-related Programme also offered. The 2025 IB cohort averaged 35.4 points with a 100% pass rate, putting the school in Dubai's upper-middle IB tier rather than the very top.
- Community feel. A diverse roll with around 90 nationalities. Parents repeatedly describe the school as one where children feel known by staff, and the open-door tone from senior leaders comes up a lot.
- Sports and performing arts. Extracurricular breadth and competitive sport are a consistent strength in parent feedback, with scholarships across academics, sport and the arts.
Considerations
- Fees and value. Annual fees run roughly AED 48,000 to 85,000 across the year groups. Most parents call value partial rather than full, and a minority push back on the ratio of price to delivery.
- Bus service. Complaints about coverage and frequency come up repeatedly. Several catchments feel under-served for the headline transport fee.
- Al Barsha congestion. Pickup and drop-off run into the wider Al Barsha traffic problem, which several other big schools share. Build time into the school run.
- Arabic and Islamic Studies. Flagged by KHDA as the area still trailing the rest of the offer, particularly consistency between teachers. A common pattern at mid-tenure IB schools in Dubai rather than a school-specific failure.
Leadership
David Hicks
Ian Thurston moved from the UK to Dubai in 2007 and has held school leadership positions since 2013, including Head of DP, Deputy Head Pastoral, and Head of Secondary before becoming Principal.
Accreditations
- KHDA 01
Academic results
- IB Diploma pass rate 100%