Dubai’s private schools have recorded the highest-ever increase in enrolment growth since the establishment of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in 2007.
For the first time ever, the rate of enrolment growth entered double digits in the 2023-24 academic year, registering at 12 percent, or more than 39,000 additional students, compared to this time last year.
The total number of students attending private schools in the emirate is now more than 365,000.
Dubai private school enrolment
Credited for this growth is the city’s Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to double the size of the economy in the next decade and position Dubai as one of the world’s top global cities.
The continuous influx of families relocating to the city and the strong desire of parents to enrol their children in top-tier schools, reflects Dubai’s emergence as one of the world’s best cities to live and work in.
Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Director-General of KHDA, said: “Our city is not just experiencing growth; it is creating growth. An ambitious city is a magnet for ambitious people, and Dubai continues to welcome a record number of families and teachers each year.
“Schools in Dubai prioritise quality, wellbeing and inclusion, while offering diversity in their curricula, locations and demographics.
“This combination offers teachers unforgettable career experiences and promises parents that their children will receive an education unlike any other in the world.
“We now stand on the threshold of a new era in Dubai’s progress. If we could glimpse into the future, we would see a private school community whose growth is driven by the vision of Dubai’s leadership.
“We would see principals, teachers, parents and students becoming the architects of a school culture that is internationally renowned for its diversity and quality.
“We would see education in Dubai take its place among the best in the world.”
The emirate currently has pupils enrolled in 220 private schools, and offers 17 curricula to students from more than 180 different nationalities.
More than three-quarters of all the students in the emirate receive an education that is rated ad either Good or better by the Schools Inspection Bureau, including 76 per cent of Emirati students.
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