In this selected KHDA 2026/2027 sample, Grade 1 / Year 2 tuition is AED 9,178 at Al Rashid Al Saleh on the UAE Ministry of Education curriculum, and AED 9,654 to AED 30,375 at four British schools. Al Diyafah’s Year 2 tuition of 9,654 adds a compulsory AED 2,560 activities fee, so the payable Year 2 total is 12,214.
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 Indian systems, not Grade 2.
Go straight to: Choose a curriculum · Fees by grade · Starting grade 2026/2027 · First-year payable · 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 Rashid Al Saleh teaches the Ministry curriculum from KG1 to Grade 12. Teaching follows the national programme. Graduation is the Ministry general or advanced track, 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. The Winchester School, Jebel Ali and GEMS Winchester School run to Year 13. GEMS Founders School, Al Barsha is another named GEMS British campus. Al Diyafah High School is a lower-tuition British example in this sample.
- SABIS / Choueifat. The International School of Choueifat, Al Sufouh uses the SABIS system. KHDA labels it SABIS (UK/US). The school grants a US-recognised high-school diploma, plus optional IGCSE, AS and A Level, AP and SAT. It is not a British school because some students sit IGCSE, and it is not an IB school.
- American, with an IB Diploma option in the senior years. GEMS Al Khaleej International is American in the primary grades. The school page lists IB Diploma fees for Grades 11 and 12 separately. GEMS Dubai American Academy is American from KG. KHDA also publishes a Grade 11 International Baccalaureate fact sheet at the same tuition. Neither school is IB from KG.
- IB as a whole-school curriculum. GEMS World Academy, Al Barsha is labelled International Baccalaureate by KHDA from pre-primary through Grade 12. That is the IB continuum, not an American or British school with a late IB option.
- Indian / CBSE. GEMS Our Own English High School is labelled Indian by KHDA. The school’s own fees page carries CBSE information and a CBSE transfer certificate. If a school starts in April, use 31 March for a first new KG or Grade 1 place, not 31 December.
Tuition at the same stage
These are AED per child per academic year, from opened KHDA 2026/2027 School Fees Fact Sheets, before discounts unless a sheet names one. Ten campuses in this sample. British Year 2 is Grade 1; Year 5 is Grade 4. This is not every private school in Dubai.
| School | Grade 1 / Year 2 | Grade 4 / Year 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Al Rashid Al Saleh (Ministry) | 9,178 | 9,366 |
| GEMS Our Own English High (Indian / CBSE) | 9,585 | 9,641 |
| Al Diyafah (British) | 9,654 | 10,018 |
| Winchester, Jebel Ali (British) | 18,688 | 18,688 |
| GEMS Winchester (British) | 25,268 | 25,602 |
| GEMS Founders, Al Barsha (British) | 30,375 | 30,375 |
| ISC Dubai, Al Sufouh (SABIS) | 24,916 | 27,558 |
| GEMS Al Khaleej (American) | 39,712 | 42,004 |
| GEMS Dubai American Academy (American) | 93,300 | 93,300 |
| GEMS World Academy (IB continuum) | 88,960 | 88,960 |
Curriculum range in this sample, tuition line only. Ministry: 9,178 to 9,366. Indian: 9,585 to 9,641. British: 9,654 to 30,375. SABIS: 24,916 to 27,558. American: 39,712 to 93,300. IB continuum: 88,960 at both grades.
Mandatory extras that change the payable total
- Al Diyafah adds 2,560 in compulsory activities. Payable totals: Year 2 12,214, Year 5 12,578. The school’s own 2026/2027 table publishes those totals.
- ISC Dubai adds mandatory books and ICT: Grade 1 1,581 plus 500, total 26,997. Grade 4 2,117 plus 500, total 30,175.
- GEMS Our Own English High adds diary 20 and ID 10. Grade 1 total 9,615. Grade 4 total 9,671.
- GEMS Al Khaleej Grade 1 KHDA tuition 39,712, published discount 4,090, total 35,622. Grade 4 tuition 42,004, discount 3,192, total 38,812. The ranges above use the tuition line, not the discounted total.
- GEMS World Academy fact sheets are 2026/2027 at 88,960 for Grade 1 and Grade 4. The school webpage still titles the same amounts as KHDA approved 2025/2026.
- Bus, upper end of the published range: Al Rashid 5,800; Winchester Jebel Ali 8,000; GEMS Founders 7,480; ISC Dubai 8,950 (a single figure); GEMS World Academy 9,850.
- Application on the KHDA sheets is AED 500 for new students, assessment included. GEMS school pages quote AED 525 including VAT. That application is not deducted from tuition if a place is offered and accepted.
- Enrolment is up to 10% of tuition, non-refundable, and deductible from first-term fees. Do not count it twice.
FTA education VAT guide: qualifying tuition and school-supplied curriculum books 0%; qualifying local school transport exempt; uniforms 5%. Application fees charged before enrolment are generally 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. Many Indian-curriculum calendars are this case. Confirm the start month on the offer.
| 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 2020 is age 6 on the age-calculation date and is a Grade 1 / Year 2 candidate if otherwise eligible. A child born 1 January 2021 is age 5 and is KG2 / Year 1, not Grade 1. A child already in school is not re-placed from this table.
KHDA follows the Ministry age-calculation date for first registration in the KHDA system. Age alone does not decide a transfer.
First-year payable for two primary children
Ministry route, Al Rashid Al Saleh, Grade 1 and Grade 4, both buses, upper published supplies: AED 34,204 for tuition, books, uniforms, a uniform VAT reserve and bus. Add AED 1,000 in applications in the first year. No sibling discount on this sheet.
| Family expense | Annual AED |
|---|---|
| Grade 1 tuition | 9,178 |
| Grade 4 tuition | 9,366 |
| Books, upper published range | 2,800 |
| Bus fees, 5,800 per child | 11,600 |
| Uniforms, 600 per child | 1,200 |
| Uniform VAT reserve, only if not already included | 60 |
| Planning total | 34,204 |
Monthly equivalent: 34,204 ÷ 12 = AED 2,850.33. That is household planning, not a monthly instalment.
Enrolment is a tuition advance, capped at 10% and credited. At the cap that is 1,854.40 for both children, not a second annual fee.
British comparison from the same year: Year 2 and Year 5 at The Winchester School, Jebel Ali, both buses, upper supplies and laptops, plans at 62,346 including a 240 uniform VAT reserve. Term tuition is 7,476, 5,607 and 5,605 per child, due 1 September, 1 January and 1 April. Term 1 for both children is 14,952. School-page applications 1,050 including VAT are extra in year one.
The published Dubai living-costs journal uses GEMS Founders, Al Barsha, Year 2 and Year 5 at 30,375 each as its family school example, with bus and supplies taken from the same 2026/2027 sheets. That is one British campus, not a Ministry budget.
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 KHDA fact sheet plus the school's extras. Separate tuition, mandatory extras, books, uniform, bus and any exam charge. Credit enrolment 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.
KHDA publishes a School Fees Fact Sheet for every Dubai private school. The figures above come from those sheets and from current school payment pages.
Official sources and linked pages checked on 14 September 2026. KHDA figures are academic year 2026/2027. Cover generated with AI: a generic school arrival, not a photograph of any school in this comparison.
