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Abu dhabi

Most popular international schools in Abu dhabi

· updated monthly

The five schools Abu dhabi parents researched most this year, chosen from the 81 international schools in the city. Ranked by how many families opened each school’s profile and spent time reading it between July 2025 and June 2026, then the full picture on curricula, class sizes and fees.

81
International schools
inc. 1 boarding
AED 41.5K
Average school fee
For a 12 yr old
1,734
Average school size
220 – 6,728 students
19.5
Average class size
Range 7 - 30

The 2026 ranking

Abu dhabi’s five most-researched schools

Ranked purely by parent interest — the number of families who opened each school’s profile and spent time reading it between July 2025 and June 2026.

1 Summit International School — international school in Abu dhabi

Summit International School

Summit International School in Abu Dhabi delivers the American Curriculum, strictly aligned with California Common Core standards, for students from Kindergarten through Grade 12. The downtown, four-building campus features a regulation football pitch, a multi-use gymnasium, a swimming pool, and a theater. Instruction replaces traditional textbooks with a 1:1 Chromebook learning model and utilizes Exact Path adaptive software to create individualized learning paths based on NWEA MAP assessment data. A unique hallmark of the school is its unified "Climber" identity. Students, parents, and staff are all referred to as Climbers ascending "Mount Summit," and daily interactions frequently incorporate the school’s signature call-and-response motto, "To the Top!" Students begin in co-educational classrooms until Grade 4, transitioning to gender-segregated instruction from Grade 5 onward. The school provides a technology-driven, data-informed environment focusing on individual student growth, robotics, and strong core subject foundations.

AED 17.7K AED 59.9K
🏷️ AED 23,000 – 38,126 / year
😊 Ages 4 to 18
📖 American Curriculum
📍 Abu dhabi
2 Al Nahda National Schools — international school in Abu dhabi

Al Nahda National Schools

Al Nahda National Schools is a private English-medium day school in Abu Dhabi with separate Boys' and Girls' campuses for ages 4–18. Established in 1983, ANNS offers British and American Curricula, including Cambridge IGCSE and Pearson Edexcel IGCSE, plus Advanced Placement. The British Program and American Program cover languages, mathematics, sciences, humanities, information technology, Islamic studies, physical education, music, drama and art. The school is licensed by ADEK and the UAE Ministry of Education and accredited by NEASC, CIS, ECIS, Cambridge International Examinations, Pearson-Edexcel, and the SAT Center. Examinations include IGCSEs, GCSEs and A-levels, alongside the BTEC suite. The SAT Center supports university admissions testing. With nearly 5,800 students, the school focuses on high-quality learning and global citizenship, while maintaining its two-campus, gender-segregated model. Extracurriculars feature sports, robotics, and debating, and the school's arts program integrates music, drama and art alongside National Day and Cultural Evenings. National Day celebrations foster cultural awareness.

AED 17.7K AED 59.9K
🏷️ AED 17,730 – 33,020 / year
😊 Ages 4 to 18
📖 British Curriculum, American Curriculum
📍 Abu dhabi
3 SABIS International School - Al Bateen — international school in Abu dhabi

SABIS International School - Al Bateen

AED 17.7K AED 59.9K
🏷️ AED 28,776 – 45,962 / year
😊 Ages 3 to 16
📖 British Curriculum, American Curriculum
📍 Abu dhabi
4 American International School in Abu Dhabi — international school in Abu dhabi

American International School in Abu Dhabi

AED 17.7K AED 59.9K
🏷️ AED 32,950 – 59,900 / year
😊 Ages 4 to 18
📖 IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP), American Curriculum
📍 Abu dhabi
5 Abu Dhabi International School — international school in Abu dhabi

Abu Dhabi International School

Abu Dhabi International School (AIS) operates across two campuses, the Abu Dhabi Campus at 121 Hadfah St, Al Manhal, and the MBZ Campus in Mohamed Bin Zayed City. Catering to students aged 3 to 18, AIS delivers three curricula under one private, coeducational K-12 umbrella: the British Program (IGCSE and A Levels) at the Abu Dhabi Campus; the American Program with Advanced Placement (AP) at the MBZ Campus; and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) also at MBZ for grades 11–12. The American track aligns English and Math with the Common Core, Science with NGSS, and Arabic with UAE Ministry standards. The High School offers Engineering, Medicine & Health Sciences, Economics & Business, and Liberal Arts tracks. Facilities span two campuses with libraries, theatres, laboratories, and sports grounds, plus spaces for co-curricular activities. AIS fosters nationalities (about 60) and a spectrum of clubs in science, arts, sports, service, and sustainability.

AED 17.7K AED 59.9K
🏷️ AED 26,275 – 50,350 / year
😊 Ages 3 to 18
📖 British Curriculum, IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP), American Curriculum
📍 Abu dhabi

What’s on offer

Curricula & languages in Abu dhabi

The mix of programmes and teaching languages across all 81 schools. Many offer more than one curriculum, so totals run higher than the school count.

Most popular curricula

Number of schools teaching each curriculum.

British
39
American
27
IB
16
International
6
Cambridge
5
Other
14

Languages of instruction

Number of schools teaching in each language.

English
75
French
2
Arabic
2
German
1
Spanish
1
Other
1

Size & classes

How big are the schools, and the classes?

School size and class size shape day-to-day experience as much as curriculum does.

School size, by students

Schools grouped by total enrolment.

Avg 1,734
37
22
5
1
3
220–1,5211,522–2,8232,824–4,1254,126–5,4275,428–6,728

Average school size is 1,734 students · based on the 68 schools that report enrolment.

Class size

Schools grouped by typical class size.

Avg 19.5
2
13
14
16
16
2
5–910–1415–1920–2425–2930–34

Average class size is 19.5 students · based on the 63 schools that report it.

What it costs

Annual fees in Abu dhabi

Fees shown are one year for a 12-year-old (or the closest age available), excluding one-time enrolment costs.

Fees at a glance

Across the 74 schools that publish a price for a 12-year-old. All figures in AED.

Minimum
11,940
Average
41,453
Maximum
86,465

Schools by fee band

How many schools sit in each annual-fee range.

AED 11.9K – 36.8K
33
AED 36.8K – 61.6K
30
AED 61.6K – 86.5K
11

Keep exploring

Not sure which school fits your family?

Tell Doris your budget, your child’s age and what matters most — we will shortlist the right schools in Abu dhabi, free and impartial.

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