ADEK Ratings 2026 – Abu Dhabi Schools

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a government body responsible for the development of education in Abu Dhabi. ADEK implements educational policies, plans and programs which improve and support institutions within the emirate.

In 2008, the first inspection of all private schools in Abu Dhabi started. By 2011, all private schools were inspected. ADEK releases inspection results every two years to serve as the basis for improvement among schools in Abu Dhabi, which are inspected every 18 to 24 months.

The recent ADEK Inspection results gather that Private Schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi have grown steadily in capacity and enrolment. There were a total of 219 private schools operating in the Emirate, which are distributed between Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra.

There are 65% Private School Students in Abu Dhabi. Moreover, the number of teachers in private schools reached 14,570 in addition to 8,119 of management staff reaching 22,869 of academic staff.

Highlights from the recent ADEK Inspection Results:

• There are 10 American curriculum schools, 19 British, 18 Ministry of Education, 14 Indian and eight schools under other curricula (Pakistani, French, IB)
• There are a total of 219 schools in Abu Dhabi offering 14 different curricula
• Approximately 78% of the private school’s students are enrolled in private schools with an annual average tuition fee of less than AED 30,000.
• There are 41,127 students enrolled across the 58 Band A schools
• 42 schools are rated Acceptable (Band B) by inspectors. These schools have 39,206 students
• Most Acceptable schools follow the Ministry of Education curriculum, along with other British and American curriculum schools
• There are 7 schools under Band C, rated Weak or Very Weak. These schools have 11,299 students

What does ADEK cover in its inspection?

Inspection reports are based on five performance standards:

• Students’ achievement Performance Standard
• Students’ personal and social development and their innovation skills Performance Standard
• Teaching and Assessment Performance Standard
• Curriculum Performance Standard
• The protection, care, guidance and support of students Performance Standard and Leadership and Management.

This table shows how schools are rated:

Outstanding
Quality of performance substantially exceeds the expectation of UAE

Very Good
Quality of performance exceeds the expectation of UAE

Good
Quality of performance meets the expectation of UAE

Acceptable
Quality of performance meets the minimum expectation of UAE

Weak
Quality of performance is below the expectation of the UAE

Very Weak
Quality of performance is significantly below the expectation of the UAE