Dubai International Academy (Emirates Hills)

What the school is

Campus distinctions and senior pathways

Innoventures Education operates DIA Emirates Hills and DIA Al Barsha, which opened in 2018. The cited reporting gives Al Barsha a Very Good rating and a 2025 Diploma average of 35.4. It also announced DIA Town Square for August 2026 with founding-family discounts. The new campus has its own operating grades and authorisations, and each school has its own fees, admissions arrangements and inspection record.

The Primary Years Programme leads into the Middle Years Programme, followed by senior options including the full IB Diploma, Career-related Programme and individual Diploma courses. Curriculum listings also describe BTEC Level 3 provision. These routes have different requirements and outcomes: individual courses do not constitute the full Diploma, and university recognition differs between them.

Academics in practice

Results and inspection history

The reported 2025 IB Diploma average was 36.1 points, with a 100% pass rate. The reported 2024 MYP eAssessment average was 43 out of 56. These are different qualifications, so their scores should be read separately. Ask for cohort sizes, complete grade distributions and several years of results for the Emirates Hills campus before comparing it with another school.

The published rating history records Outstanding in 2015–16 and the following year, Very Good in several subsequent inspection cycles, then Outstanding in 2022–23 and 2023–24. The changes show why report dates and recommendations matter.

Group interviews describe university destinations across the US, UK and Canada, but combine historical placements and more than one school rather than a recent Emirates Hills graduating class. A campus-specific destination table, with the number of graduates and their qualification routes, is the comparable figure.

Admissions and cost

Admissions, fees and the calendar

The official 2026–27 schedule lists annual tuition of AED 44,979 for KG1, AED 50,726 for KG2, AED 51,202 for Year 1, AED 57,983 for Years 2–6, AED 65,224 for Years 7–9, AED 72,482 for Years 10–11 and AED 79,696 for Years 12–13. Fees are billed across three terms. These figures are unchanged from 2025–26, consistent with the reported 2026–27 tuition freeze; obtain the school’s entry-year schedule and additional charges before budgeting.

The fee page lists an AED 525 entrance-test payment, including VAT, which is non-refundable. New-pupil enrolment is 10% of annual tuition, also credited against Term 1; returning families pay a 10% re-enrolment advance. Do not add credited payments again to annual tuition spending. The listed English-as-an-Additional-Language programme costs AED 4,500 annually and is a condition of admission where the school assesses it as necessary. The published sibling discount is 10%, starting with the fourth child.

Applicants take the school’s entrance assessment. Ask how language and learning-support needs are assessed. Each DIA campus has its own curriculum authorisations and inspection record; the Emirates Hills rating does not apply to Al Barsha or a newly announced school.

The family experience

Location, community and the daily reality

The Emirates Hills campus is on First Al Khail Street. A nearby home may still involve a longer bus journey because of the route.

Published profiles describe a community of more than 85 nationalities. If EAL is required, ask about its timetable, relationship to mainstream lessons, progress reviews and exit criteria, as well as when the annual charge applies.