KHDA school ratings explained: what Outstanding to Very Weak means, and how to use them in 2026-27
In short
KHDA rates Dubai private schools on six levels from Outstanding to Very Weak, but most ratings date from 2023-24, so read the report, not only the label.
- Good is the expected level for every UAE school; Acceptable is the minimum.
- Full inspections paused in 2024-25 and 2025-26 and resume in 2026-27.
- Dubai school fees are frozen for 2026-27, whatever a school’s rating.
Every private school in Dubai carries a KHDA rating, and it is usually the first thing families compare. It is a useful number, but it is easy to misread: what the six words mean, how old the rating is, and what it does and does not tell you about a particular child's experience.
The short version: KHDA rates schools on six levels, from Outstanding to Very Weak, and Good is the level every school is expected to reach. Most ratings you will see today come from the 2023-24 inspections, because full inspections were paused for two years. Visits resume in 2026-27 under a new model. The full inspection report says far more than the single word on the directory.
The facts below come from KHDA's own pages, including its school directory, its news releases and the UAE School Inspection Framework, checked on 1 November 2026.
The six ratings
Schools are inspected by KHDA's Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB), set up in 2007, against the UAE School Inspection Framework. The framework uses a six-level scale.
| Rating | Where it sits |
|---|---|
| Outstanding | The top of the scale |
| Very Good | Above the expected level |
| Good | The expected level for every school in the UAE |
| Acceptable | The minimum level |
| Weak | Below the minimum |
| Very Weak | The bottom of the scale |
In the 2023-24 inspections, KHDA inspected 209 schools: 23 were rated Outstanding, 48 Very Good, 85 Good, 51 Acceptable, 2 Weak and none Very Weak. KHDA reported that 81% of students attended schools rated Good or better.
What the inspectors judge
The framework has six performance standards, which together lead to the overall rating:
- Students' achievement.
- Students' personal and social development, and their innovation skills.
- Teaching and assessment.
- Curriculum.
- The protection, care, guidance and support of students.
- Leadership and management.
They break down into 17 performance indicators. That detail is in the inspection report, and it is where the useful information is. A school rated Very Good overall can be stronger in one subject or one phase than another, and the report says where.
For 2026-27, KHDA has named four focus areas on top of the framework: early childhood, the quality of education for Emirati students, inclusive education and the progress of students of determination, and Arabic teaching and learning.
Why most ratings date from 2023-24
Dubai inspected private schools every year from 2007-08. That changed in 2024-25, when there were no full inspections except for new schools completing their third year. KHDA then announced that "no inspections will be conducted for Dubai private schools during the 2025-26 academic year", again with the exception of third-year schools.
The result shows in the directory. When we counted on 1 November 2026, 197 of the 229 schools listed showed 2023-24 as their latest overall rating, and 22 were not yet inspected. A rating is a picture of the school as it was then. Leadership, teachers and results can all have changed since.
How the 2026-27 visits work
KHDA confirmed in June 2026 that quality assurance visits resume this year, starting in the first term, in two forms:
- A full visit, which is an inspection, with a published report and an overall rating.
- A shorter monitoring visit, with a concise report and no new overall rating.
KHDA chooses which visit each school receives, and schools get no more than 24 hours' notice of either. So a school that has a monitoring visit this year will keep its earlier overall rating, with a newer report beside it.
How to look up a school's rating and read its report
- Open KHDA's school directory. It can sort schools by DSIB rating and compare them; the KHDA app shows the same ratings.
- Open the school's page. Under DSIB Inspection Reports there is an inspection report for each year inspected, often with a shorter summary report.
- Check the year first. Then read the sections for your child's phase and the subjects that matter to you, rather than only the overall rating.
- Look at the other ratings on the page. The directory also shows wellbeing, inclusion and Dubai focus area ratings, which can matter more for some children than the overall word.
Compare schools that teach the same curriculum. A CBSE school and a British school can both be rated Very Good while being right for very different children.
Ratings and school fees
Normally, ratings and fees are linked. KHDA's school fees framework lets for-profit schools that have run for three years or more raise fees by the Education Cost Index (ECI), with more for a school whose rating rises:
| Rating change | Fee increase allowed |
|---|---|
| Rating unchanged | Up to the ECI |
| Up one level, from Very Weak, Weak or Acceptable | ECI × 2 |
| Good to Very Good | ECI × 1.75 |
| Very Good to Outstanding | ECI × 1.5 |
| Rating dropped | No increase |
For 2025-26, with inspections paused, the ECI was 2.35% and eligible schools could apply for up to the ECI with no rating multiplier. For 2026-27, KHDA confirmed in May 2026 that Dubai private school fees are frozen, with no increase.
Sharjah and Abu Dhabi
KHDA covers Dubai only. In Sharjah, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) reviews schools through its Itqan programme, and its School Performance Review reports use the same UAE framework, the same six standards and the same six-level scale. SPEA's own school directory shows each school's evaluation rating.
In Abu Dhabi, ADEK's Irtiqa'a inspections take place every two years on the same six levels, with Good as the minimum standard ADEK expects.
What a rating cannot tell you
A rating describes a whole school on average. It cannot tell you whether the curriculum suits your child, whether the subjects they will want at 16 are offered, or how a particular class or teacher works for them. Use the rating to build a shortlist, the reports to narrow it, and a visit to decide.
If the decision is really about curriculum, CBSE, IGCSE or the IB, our guides on choosing a school and curriculum in Dubai and Indian or international curriculum are the better starting point.
Frequently asked questions
What are the KHDA school ratings?
KHDA rates Dubai private schools on six levels: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Acceptable, Weak and Very Weak. Good is the expected level for every school in the UAE, and Acceptable is the minimum.
Why is my school's KHDA rating from 2023-24?
Full inspections were paused for 2024-25 and 2025-26, apart from new schools in their third year. Most schools' latest overall rating is therefore from the 2023-24 inspections.
Will Dubai schools be inspected in 2026-27?
Yes. Visits resume in 2026-27 as either a full visit, with a report and an overall rating, or a shorter monitoring visit, with a report but no new rating. Schools get no more than 24 hours' notice.
Where can I read a school's KHDA inspection report?
On KHDA's school directory: open the school's page and look under DSIB Inspection Reports, where each inspected year has a full report and often a summary.
Do KHDA ratings affect school fees?
Normally yes: a school whose rating rises may raise fees by more than the Education Cost Index, and one whose rating falls may not raise them. For 2026-27, Dubai private school fees are frozen.
Does Sharjah use KHDA ratings?
No. KHDA covers Dubai. Sharjah's schools are reviewed by SPEA through its Itqan programme, which uses the same UAE framework and six-level scale.
Career Launcher UAE works with students from schools across Dubai and Sharjah, in CBSE, IGCSE and GCSE, the IB and A Levels. If you are weighing a school or curriculum change, our career and subject guidance helps you check what each option means for the subjects and exams ahead.
Related reading: GL Assessment and CAT4 explained, Switching curricula in Dubai and CBSE or ICSE.