In this selected ADEK-approved 2026/2027 sample, Grade 1 / Year 2 tuition is AED 15,110 at Al Bashair on the UAE Ministry of Education curriculum, and AED 20,520 to AED 30,140 at six British schools.
Fix two things first: the curriculum the child can actually continue, and the comparable grade. A British Year 2 is Grade 1 in Ministry, American, SABIS and CBSE systems, not Grade 2.
Go straight to: Choose a curriculum · Fees by grade · Starting grade 2026/2027 · Ministry-curriculum budget · Next steps
Choose a curriculum the child can join
Families arriving from Arabic or other national systems do not have to start with a British or IB school. Mandatory UAE Arabic and Islamic lessons do not turn an international school into a Ministry-curriculum school. GEMS is a group of campuses, not a curriculum.
- UAE Ministry of Education. Al Bashair teaches the Ministry curriculum from KG1 to Grade 12. Teaching is the national Arabic-medium programme, with additional English books on the approved fee sheet. KG to Grade 4 is mixed; from Grade 5 the school is girls only. Graduation is the Ministry general or advanced track after Grade 9, not IGCSE or IB.
- British. English National Curriculum. IGCSE is the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, a qualification students commonly study toward in Years 10 and 11. It is not the name of those years, and it is not a whole-school curriculum. GEMS Winchester currently ends at Year 9. GEMS Cambridge International in Baniyas runs to Year 13 and is not The Cambridge High School.
- SABIS / Choueifat. ISC Khalifa City uses the SABIS system. The school grants a US-recognised high-school diploma, plus optional IGCSE, AS and A Level, Advanced Placement (AP) and SAT. It is not a British school because some students sit IGCSE.
- American, with an IB Diploma option. ICS Mushrif follows the American Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), plus Ministry Arabic, Islamic, social studies and moral education. It is not IB from KG. AP and the IB Diploma are senior options. GEMS American Academy is American with an IB Diploma option in the senior years.
- CBSE. Shining Star follows India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on an April calendar. Use the 31 March age-calculation date, not 31 December.
What tuition costs at the same stage
These are AED per child per academic year, before discounts. Where a school has an ADEK letter, the figure is the 2026/2027 approved maximum in the Abu Dhabi region. This is seven Grade 1 / Year 2 schools in the sample and seven Grade 4 / Year 5 schools, not every private school in the emirate.
| School | Curriculum | Grade 1 / Year 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Al Bashair | Ministry | 15,110 |
| Cambridge High School | British | 20,520 |
| GEMS Winchester | British to Year 9 | 22,350 |
| Modern British Academy | British | 26,940 |
| Al Basma | British | 27,840 |
| GEMS Cambridge International, Baniyas | British | 28,430 |
| Reach | British | 30,140 |
British Year 2 only, same six schools: 20,520 to 30,140. Median 27,390. Mean 26,036.67.
| School | Curriculum | Grade 4 / Year 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Al Bashair | Ministry | 17,050 |
| GEMS Winchester | British to Year 9 | 22,430 |
| Cambridge High School | British | 23,840 |
| Modern British Academy | British | 29,530 |
| Reach | British | 30,140 |
| Al Basma | British | 32,940 |
| GEMS Cambridge International, Baniyas | British | 33,240 |
British Year 5 only: 22,430 to 33,240. Median 29,835. Mean 28,686.67.
Extras, exams and figures that are not ADEK-approved 2026/2027 tuition
- Books. Included at Winchester, Cambridge International Baniyas, Al Basma and Reach. Extra at Al Bashair, Cambridge High School and Modern. Al Bashair Grade 1 adds 735 plus 254 English books; Grade 4 adds 790 plus 137.
- Bus. 5,000 on six of the ADEK letters above. Modern British Academy is 4,500. SABIS Khalifa City publishes 5,500.
- IGCSE years, two British ADEK sheets only. Year 10 is 29,450 at Cambridge High School and 37,940 at Cambridge International Baniyas. Year 11 is 31,190 and 39,200. Winchester has no Year 10. Those two letters are not a market range.
- SABIS Khalifa City 2026/2027 school sheet: Grade 1 26,260, Grade 4 27,030, Grade 12 41,370, excluding books and uniforms. Not an ADEK-stamped letter.
- ICS Mushrif page still says 2025/2026. Grade 1 29,880, Grade 4 32,600, Grade 12 53,350. Uniform 400, bus 5,000. IB Diploma exams 2,750 per diploma student; AP 500 a subject. Do not treat these as 2026/2027 quotes.
- GEMS American Academy 2026/2027 webpage: Grade 1 to Grade 12 80,610, matching its 2025/2026 ADEK maxima. The linked approval letter is still 2025/2026.
- Shining Star CBSE 2026/2027 page: Grade 1 ADEK column 11,240, charged 10,300. April start.
- Repton 2026/2027 HTML: Year 2 70,700 with a 750 book fee; Year 5 73,250. Not a stamped ADEK PDF. Uniform and bus unpriced.
FTA education VAT guide: qualifying tuition and school-supplied curriculum books 0%; qualifying local school transport exempt; uniforms 5%. If a uniform price excludes VAT, multiply it by 1.05. Do not add 5% to the whole bill.
How to place the child for 2026/2027
- If the child is already enrolled or transferring, use the last successfully completed grade and the approved equivalency. Date of birth does not move that child to a new year.
- If this is a first new KG or Grade 1 admission in an August/September school, use 31 December 2026 as the age-calculation date. MoE English announcement: Pre-KG / FS1 age 3; KG1 / FS2 age 4; KG2 / Year 1 age 5; Grade 1 / Year 2 age 6. The previous age-calculation date for August/September schools was 31 August.
- If the school starts in April, keep 31 March. CBSE calendars such as Shining Star are this case.
| New August/September admission | Age by 31 December 2026 | Births in |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-KG / FS1 | 3 | 2023 |
| KG1 / FS2 | 4 | 2022 |
| KG2 / Year 1 | 5 | 2021 |
| Grade 1 / Year 2 | 6 | 2020 |
Birth-date examples. A child born 31 December 2022 is age 4 on the age-calculation date and is a KG1 / FS2 candidate if otherwise eligible. A child born 1 January 2023 is age 3 and is Pre-KG / FS1, not KG1. A child born 31 December 2020 is a Grade 1 / Year 2 candidate. A child already in school is not re-placed from this table.
Public-school exception, not a private-school rule: children who missed 2025/2026 registration because they were born from 1 September to 31 December 2021 may, in public-school registration for 2026/2027, be placed in KG1 or KG2. Source: the public-school registration news and the Arabic registration guide, page 4. Do not apply that choice automatically to a private school.
Public schools are not open to every resident. Registration is for UAE citizens and other listed eligible groups. In the guide table, KG is not offered to GCC, diplomat or decree-holder categories. New public Grade 1 applicants must be 6 by 31 December 2026 and must not be older than 8.
Two children at Al Bashair: the annual budget
For Grade 1 and Grade 4, with both buses, plan AED 44,630.40 for tuition, published books, additional English books, uniforms and a uniform VAT reserve. No sibling discount.
| Family expense | Annual AED |
|---|---|
| Grade 1 tuition | 15,110 |
| Grade 4 tuition | 17,050 |
| Books, including additional English books | 1,916 |
| Bus fees, 5,000 per child | 10,000 |
| Uniforms, 264 per child | 528 |
| Uniform VAT reserve, only if not already included | 26.40 |
| Planning total | 44,630.40 |
Published components total 44,604. The extra 26.40 is a reserve. Drop it if the uniform invoice already includes VAT.
Monthly equivalent: 44,630.40 ÷ 12 = AED 3,719.20. That is household planning, not a monthly instalment.
Al Bashair splits tuition and bus into three equal payments at the start of each term: 14,053, 14,053 and 14,054. Put books and uniforms with the first payment for planning: 16,523.40 before any registration-credit timing.
Registration is a tuition advance, capped at 5% and credited. At the cap that is 1,608 for both children, not a second annual fee.
A British comparison from the same year: Year 2 and Year 5 at Al Basma, both buses, plans at 71,830 including a 50 uniform VAT reserve. Term dates: 10 August 2026, 7 December 2026, 8 March 2027. The published Abu Dhabi living-costs journal uses Al Basma as a family school example with extra supplies room. That is a living-cost plan, not this Ministry-curriculum budget.
ADEK fees policy section 5.2 bars deposits, application fees and first-time enrolment fees before enrolment. An assessment appointment is not proof of a payable charge.
Before you reserve a place or sign a lease
- Name the curriculum and the grade on the offer. Use the previous report for a transfer. Use the 2026/2027 age-calculation date only for a first new KG or Grade 1 admission.
- Build the invoice from the ADEK sheet plus the school's extras. Separate tuition, books, uniform, bus and any exam charge. Credit registration against tuition once. Do not count it twice.
- Match the home to the bus. A published bus price is not a route or a seat. Use TalenDir’s UAE housing guide when the school run changes the rent you can carry.
The official Find Schools and Fees page is on TAMM. The figures above come from school-hosted ADEK letters and current school pages.
Official sources and linked pages checked on 12 September 2026. ADEK-approved figures are academic year 2026/2027 unless a school is labelled 2025/2026. Cover generated with AI: a generic school arrival, not a photograph of any school in this comparison.
