KHDA School Ratings Explained (2026)
Every private school in Dubai carries a KHDA rating — Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable or Weak — and that single word shapes both the quality you can expect and the fees you will pay. Yet most parents read the label without understanding what sits behind it, or how it controls fee increases. This guide explains what each rating really means, how ratings move school fees, and how to read the free inspection reports like an insider.
The short answer
KHDA ratings come from annual inspections by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) against six performance standards. Good is the expected level for every school — not a mediocre grade. Very Good is the value sweet spot for most families. Outstanding commands premium fees and waiting lists. Ratings also directly cap fee increases through the Education Cost Index mechanism — and for 2026–27, the KHDA froze all tuition anyway, so no school may raise fees this year.
What each rating means
Inspectors observe lessons, interview students, parents and staff, analyse assessment data and review policies. The overall rating reflects six standards: student achievement, personal and social development, teaching and assessment, curriculum, student welfare and safeguarding, and leadership.
| Rating | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Outstanding | Exceptionally high quality, substantially exceeding UAE expectations; innovative practice, consistently high outcomes. ~23 schools hold it. |
| Very Good | Quality exceeds expectations — strong leadership, effective teaching. ~48 schools. Widely considered the best value tier. |
| Good | The expected level for every school in Dubai. Solid, with some inconsistencies. ~85 schools — the largest group. |
| Acceptable | The minimum level required. Basic expectations met; improvement needed. ~51 schools. |
| Weak | Below acceptable UAE expectations; significant improvement needed, closely monitored. Only ~2 schools. (A “Very Weak” grade also exists.) |
Key insight: Good is not average — it’s the benchmark. Dubai expects every school to be Good. An Acceptable school isn’t failing, but it is on notice.
How ratings control school fees: the ECI mechanism
This is the part most parents miss. Under KHDA’s School Fees Framework, a school can’t just raise fees — the maximum increase is set by the Education Cost Index (ECI) multiplied by a factor tied to the school’s rating movement:
| Rating movement | Maximum fee increase |
|---|---|
| Improved (e.g. Acceptable → Good) | Up to 2x ECI |
| Improved Good → Very Good | Up to 1.75x ECI |
| Improved Very Good → Outstanding | Up to 1.5x ECI |
| Rating maintained | Up to 1x ECI |
| Rating dropped | No increase allowed |
Recent ECI rates: 2.6% (2024–25), 2.35% (2025–26). So a school that held its rating could raise fees ~2.35%; one that climbed Good → Very Good could apply for ~4.1%; a downgraded school gets zero.
For 2026–27, none of this applies — KHDA froze all private-school tuition under a directive from Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (22 May 2026, part of an AED 1.5 billion incentives package). When increases resume (expected 2027–28), the 2026–27 inspection results will set each school’s fee headroom — which is why the returning inspections matter.
The latest inspection round
Current published ratings come from the 2023–24 full inspection cycle — no full DSIB inspections ran in 2024–25 or 2025–26 (paused under Dubai’s Education 33 Strategy). Results: 23 Outstanding, 48 Very Good, 85 Good, 51 Acceptable, 2 Weak — with 81% of students in Good-or-better schools.
Inspections resume in 2026–27 in a new format:
- QA1 — full inspection against the whole framework; can change the overall rating
- QA2 — monitoring visit on specific areas only; rating unchanged
- Schools don’t know in advance which they’ll get; third-year schools automatically get QA1
- Notice cut from 5 working days to 24 hours or less — inspectors now see an ordinary school day
How to read a free KHDA inspection report
Every report is free on the KHDA website (Education Directory → school profile). Read it like this:
- Start with the Parent Report section — written for parents, not bureaucrats
- Look past the headline grade. Reports give per-phase, per-subject judgements. A “Good” school can be Outstanding in English and Acceptable in maths — that detail matters more than the label
- Check the trend. 2023–24 vs 2022–23 vs earlier. A school climbing Acceptable → Good signals improving leadership; one stuck at Acceptable for five years doesn’t
- Read the SEND and wellbeing sections if your child needs support — broken out separately
- Download the School Fees Fact Sheet from the same KHDA profile — it lists tuition plus every optional charge the school may levy
Badges that don’t mean what you think
Schools love advertising BSO accreditation (British Schools Overseas), NEASC accreditation, or Microsoft Showcase School status. These are voluntary marketing credentials — they don’t set fees, don’t reflect KHDA’s regulatory judgement, and aren’t substitutes for the DSIB grade. A “Good” KHDA school with a BSO badge is still a Good school. Judge by the KHDA rating first.
Ratings, fees and waiting lists: the practical picture
- Outstanding schools start around AED 31,000+ a year at the cheapest end — premium fees with the longest waiting lists, especially in primary years
- Very Good is the value tier: schools like The Indian High School (from ~AED 5,525) or GEMS Our Own Indian (from ~AED 7,389) deliver above-expectations quality at budget prices
- Apply 6–12 months ahead for Outstanding schools; Very Good schools often have shorter or no waiting lists
- Never pay anyone for “priority placement” — KHDA rules require schools to disclose place availability before taking the AED 500 application fee, and the fee is refundable if no offer results
Ratings vs fees at a glance
| Rating | Typical fee signal | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding | Premium (AED 31,000–118,000) | Best facilities, longest waiting lists |
| Very Good | Mid-range, best value (AED 5,500–90,000) | Strong teaching, the sweet spot |
| Good | Budget to mid (AED 4,700–65,000) | Solid, meets expectations |
| Weak | Avoid | Closely monitored, improvement required |
KHDA vs other emirates’ regulators
Dubai’s KHDA is the best-known, but each emirate regulates its own schools:
- Abu Dhabi (ADEK): rates schools Outstanding to Very Weak on a similar framework; also operates a fee-cap system linked to ratings
- Sharjah (SPEA): Sharjah Private Education Authority — newer inspection regime, ratings still bedding in
- Northern Emirates: Ministry of Education oversight with less granular public ratings
If you’re comparing Dubai vs Sharjah/Ajman school costs (many families live in Sharjah and school in Dubai, or vice versa), note the ratings aren’t directly comparable — a Sharjah “Good” isn’t calibrated to a Dubai “Good”. Compare fees and visit; don’t compare labels across emirates.
What happens when a school is rated Weak
Only ~2 Dubai schools currently hold a Weak rating. Consequences are real:
- Zero fee increases permitted until the rating improves
- KHDA monitoring: follow-up inspections, improvement plans, public reporting
- Parent signal: a Weak rating sustained over multiple cycles is a red flag — but a school newly downgraded to Weak with new leadership can be a turnaround story (and can’t raise fees while it recovers, which caps your costs)
Check the rating trend, not just the current label. A school climbing from Weak to Acceptable is improving; one sliding from Good to Acceptable is not.
Get Your Exact Number
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FAQs
What do KHDA school ratings mean?
Outstanding = exceptional; Very Good = exceeds expectations; Good = the expected standard for every school; Acceptable = minimum standard; Weak = below acceptable. They’re awarded by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau after full inspections against six performance standards.
Is KHDA Good a bad rating?
No — Good is the benchmark Dubai expects of all its schools. Very Good and Outstanding exceed it. An Acceptable rating means the minimum standard with improvement needed; Weak means significant improvement required.
How do KHDA ratings affect school fees?
Through the Education Cost Index: schools that improve their rating may raise fees up to 2x the ECI; schools that hold their rating up to 1x ECI; downgraded schools may not raise fees at all. For 2026–27, all tuition is frozen regardless of rating.
Are Dubai school fees frozen in 2026?
Yes. KHDA confirmed on 22 May 2026 that no private school may raise tuition for the 2026–27 academic year, under a directive from Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed. Transport, uniforms, meals and activities are not covered by the freeze.
When were schools last inspected?
The current published ratings are from the 2023–24 full inspection cycle. Full inspections were paused in 2024–25 and 2025–26 and resume in 2026–27 with a new QA1/QA2 format and ≤24-hour notice.
How do I check a school’s KHDA rating?
Free on the KHDA website: Education Directory → school profile → inspection report (read the Parent Report section) and the School Fees Fact Sheet. Don’t rely on the school’s own marketing — verify the DSIB grade yourself.