KHDA ratings explained: using Dubai school inspection reports

The short version

Read the report as well as the rating

Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) regulates private schools. Its inspection arm, the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB), uses six overall rating bands: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable, Weak and Very Weak. Reports also assess individual subjects, phases and aspects of school provision.

Many school ratings still come from 2023–24 because full inspections paused in 2024–25 and 2025–26. Some newer schools received their first ratings during that period. Published reporting describes visits returning in 2026–27 through full inspections and shorter monitoring visits; only full inspections produce a new rating. Every report carries a date and a type, and both matter.

Regulator

KHDA

DSIB conducts school inspections

Overall scale

6 bands

Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable, Weak and Very Weak

2023–24 cycle

209 schools

23 Outstanding, 48 Very Good, 85 Good, 51 Acceptable and 2 Weak

2026–27 visits

Two types

Full inspections produce a rating; monitoring visits do not

2026–27 tuition

Freeze reported

Confirm additional charges and the school’s approved schedule separately

The regulator

What the KHDA does

KHDA oversees private-school licensing, pupil registration, inspection and fee approvals in Dubai. Reported 2024–25 figures describe 227 private schools serving 387,441 pupils across 17 curricula.

The inspection record gives families information to compare across schools, including attainment, teaching, wellbeing and leadership. An overall rating does not determine whether a school offers the curriculum, language support or subject choices your child needs. Those questions require a closer look at the relevant phase and a conversation with the school.

The rating scale

Six bands, with detailed findings underneath

The cited 2023–24 distribution covers 209 inspected schools: 23 Outstanding, 48 Very Good, 85 Good, 51 Acceptable and 2 Weak. None received Very Weak. The reporting states that 81% of pupils attended schools rated Good or better. These are historical counts, not a current ranking of every Dubai school.

Outstanding is the highest band, followed by Very Good and Good. Acceptable, Weak and Very Weak are the lower three bands. Read the report’s explanation of strengths and required improvements rather than translate a band into a prediction about an individual child. The bands say nothing about value for money and are not comparable with ratings under another country’s framework.

Look at the judgement for your child’s phase and relevant subjects. A school may have different findings for attainment, personal development, inclusion and leadership. Use those distinctions to prepare questions: what was identified, what changed, and what evidence now shows the effect?

Report dates

What the inspection pause means for families

Full inspections paused for 2024–25 and again for 2025–26, with exceptions for schools reaching their third year of operation. The cited reporting describes four schools receiving first ratings in 2024–25. It is therefore inaccurate to say every rating dates from 2023–24.

KHDA continued reviewing data and school self-evaluation during the pause. An unchanged overall rating can sit alongside real changes in staffing, teaching or support since the last full report.

2026–27

Full inspections and monitoring visits

The June 2026 announcement describes quality-assurance visits returning in the academic year beginning 31 August 2026, with no more than 24 hours’ notice. Shorter notice is a change in inspection arrangements; it does not by itself prove that a future judgement will be more accurate.

• Full inspection. Inspectors apply the UAE School Inspection Framework and produce a report with an overall rating.
• Monitoring visit. A smaller team follows specific areas identified through school data. The school receives findings and recommendations, without a new overall rating.

Published reporting says KHDA selects the visit type using school data, with third-year schools receiving a full inspection. Families should ask which visit a school received and request the resulting report; the reporting cited here does not say whether monitoring reports are published.

The cited reporting also describes teacher-turnover and pupil-to-teacher ratio data returning to reports. A turnover figure covers a specific period and set of staff, and a pupil-to-teacher ratio is different from the number of pupils in your child’s class.

Fees

How inspection ratings relate to fee approvals

Published reporting gives an Education Cost Index of 2.6% for 2024–25 and 2.35% for 2025–26. Under the described framework, eligible for-profit schools apply individually for increases. Maintaining a rating has generally allowed an increase linked to that index, while an improved rating can affect the permitted multiplier; a downgrade restricts eligibility.

The cited reporting describes a citywide tuition freeze for 2026–27. Transport, devices, activities and support can be charged on top of approved tuition. The 2027–28 approval rules and multipliers will be set when that year’s policy is published.

Questions for a visit

Use recent evidence alongside the report

• Follow up the recommendations. Ask what changed after the last inspection and how the school measures improvement.
• Discuss staffing. Request recent teacher-retention figures and class sizes for the relevant phase, with the dates and definitions behind the figures.
• Check other inspection evidence. If the school has a British Schools Overseas report or other accreditation, read its date, scope and findings. Membership of an organisation is not the same as an inspection or accreditation.
• Explore daily provision. Visit during a school day if possible and ask how tutors, teachers and support staff work with pupils in your child’s year.
• Confirm the offer. Obtain grade-specific subjects, support arrangements and costs in writing before accepting a place.