UAE‘s premium schools are witnessing a rise in enrolments, with some reporting nearly a 20 per cent rise, despite a hefty fee structure of up to Dh120,000.
School leaders emphasised that the consistent interest over the years is primarily driven by the influx of new families to Dubai.
Lisa Crausby, Group Chief Education Officer, GEMS Education, said, “We have seen enrolments in our premium schools increase four per cent year on year, and we’re expecting them to increase a further 6.5 per cent by September 2025. Across our growing network of schools in the UAE, we operate a total of 13 world-class premium schools in prominent locations across both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”
The group has expanded capacity across several ohttps://www.edarabia.com/schools/abu-dhabi/univf their premium schools, with the recent openings of a senior school campus at GEMS World Academy – Dubai, a new middle school block at GEMS Dubai American Academy, and a new sixth form wing at Jumeirah College Dubai.
Additional capacity expansions are in the pipeline at GEMS FirstPoint School – The Villa, GEMS World Academy – Abu Dhabi, and GEMS Royal Dubai School.
“In these schools, the fees range from Dh35,000 to Dh120,000,” added Crausby.
Recently, Taaleem commenced the year with a robust performance, reporting operating revenues of Dh306.1 million in Q1 2024-25, marking a 14.8 per cent YoY increase.
“Enrolment in premium schools also rose by 18.7 per cent over the same period,” according to the leading K-12 education provider in the UAE, which has a total of 12 premium schools, including two new ones added this year.
Taaleem acquired leading French school LLFP Meydan, and land and buildings from Amity to expand DBS Emirates Hills (DBS Islands), with a combined CAPEX of Dh437.5m. The acquisitions have been consolidated into Taaleem’s Q1 results.
Khalid Al Tayer, Chairman of Taaleem, said, “We have successfully completed two major acquisitions, extending our reach into both established and new curricula — an achievement that has boosted our premium school capacity by 28.0 per cent YoY to 21,574 seats, and raised our total capacity by 32.7 per cent YoY to 54,146 seats across Taaleem’s segments.”
Alan Williamson, Chief Executive Officer of Taaleem, said, “Over the next two years, our plan is to add over 6,000 seats while maximising utilisation across our premium and super-premium schools.”
Meanwhile, certain GEMS school report that their enrolment has increased by almost 35 per cent with students in the queue for admissions.
David Wade, Principal/CEO, GEMS FirstPoint School – The Villa, said, “Since I joined the school in 2022, enrolment has increased by 34 per cent. Our school is now operating waiting lists in most year groups for the first time since it opened in 2014. Due to the transient nature of Dubai’s population, there is, however, still flexibility in four of our 16 year-groups from nursery to Year 13. Our school offers great value in the premium sector, with fees ranging from Dh36,593 in nursery to Dh74,017 in Years 12 and 13.”
School leaders stressed that there has been a significant increase in enrolments, especially in Dubai, driven not just by families relocating from abroad but also by the growth of residential communities in areas such as Sobha Hartland.
Ajay Rajendran, Governor, Hartland International School, had earlier said, “We’ve particularly experienced increased demand in our secondary school, as families seek a premium British education. We’re proud to share that in only our second graduating cohort, we’ve received offers from top-ranked universities such as Cambridge, Stanford, and UCL, reflecting the strength of our academic programme.”
© Khaleej Times
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