UAE's new British and IB schools for 2026-27: A complete guide to fees, admission years and locations
Dubai and Sharjah parents are entering the 2026-27 admissions season with more genuine choice than at almost any point in recent years. Seven new schools are opening across the two emirates, three major British curriculum brands arriving in Dubai simultaneously for the first time, alongside four new IB candidate schools bringing the Primary Years Programme experience closer to fast-growing residential communities. For families weighing curriculum, location, fees and school culture all at once, here is everything currently known about each new opening.
Why 2026 is a standout year for new school openings
Two things make this year's wave of openings distinctive. First, the arrival of Harrow International School Dubai, Queen Elizabeth's School Dubai and Rugby School Dubai marks a significant expansion of the premium British curriculum segment, with three globally recognised school names entering the market at the same time. Second, the IB sector is growing in parallel, with four new candidate schools, Ambassador International Academy Mankhool, Ash Mount School, Dubai International Academy Town Square and Raffles World Academy Sharjah, expanding the IB Primary Years Programme footprint into Bur Dubai, Mudon, Town Square and Aljada.
This wave of openings arrives against a backdrop of stability for families. Private school fees across Dubai are frozen for 2026-27, which means the new fee figures below reflect genuine opening prices rather than numbers likely to shift again before September.
Schools moving closer to residential communities
Unlike previous admissions cycles, many of this year's new campuses are opening directly inside neighbourhoods that have seen rapid growth among young families, rather than in the city's more established school corridors. Town Square, Mudon, Dubai Sports City, Bur Dubai and Aljada are all gaining new schools this year. For parents in these communities, that translates into shorter school runs and easier access to sought-after curricula without a daily cross-city commute.
New British curriculum schools opening in 2026-27
Harrow International School Dubai
Location: Hessa Street, Dubai
Curriculum: British
Admission years: FS1 to Year 6
Fees: From AED 80,000 to AED 100,000+
Harrow's Dubai campus brings the school's educational philosophy to the UAE for the first time, with a strong emphasis on community life, extracurricular participation, sport, music and student leadership alongside academics. The school is positioning itself as a modern British day school inspired by traditional boarding-school values, a distinctive proposition in a market where day schools dominate.
Queen Elizabeth's School Dubai
Location: Dubai Sports City
Curriculum: British
Admission years: Nursery to Year 8
Fees: AED 70,000 to AED 102,000
Queen Elizabeth's is building its Dubai offering around academic achievement paired with character development, a strong reading culture and personalised learning. The school has flagged smaller class sizes in the early years and a specific focus on future-ready skills and personal growth, worth asking about directly during admissions visits given how much variation exists between schools on class size commitments.
Rugby School Dubai
Location: Nad Al Sheba
Curriculum: British
Admission years: FS to Year 13
Fees: To be announced
Rugby School Dubai is notable for running the full FS to Year 13 pathway from opening, rather than starting with early years only and expanding upward over several years, as many new schools do. Fee details have not yet been published; families interested in Rugby should watch for the school's own admissions announcements over the coming months.
New IB candidate schools opening in 2026-27
Ambassador International Academy Mankhool
Location: Bur Dubai
Curriculum: IB Candidate School
Admission years: Nursery to Grade 8
Fees: AED 45,000 to AED 65,000
Ambassador International Academy is building its programme around wellbeing, reading, physical activity and hands-on learning, with the school specifically flagging reduced screen exposure, multiple weekly PE sessions and learning spaces designed to encourage engagement and curiosity. For Bur Dubai families who have historically had fewer nearby IB options, this fills a genuine gap.
Ash Mount School
Location: Mudon
Curriculum: IB Candidate School
Admission years: Pre-KG to Grade 8
Fees: AED 52,000 to AED 85,000
Ash Mount is positioning itself around inquiry-based learning and creativity, with planned facilities including outdoor learning environments, sports amenities, a dedicated Forest School area and a flexible theatre space designed to support collaborative learning. The Forest School model, common in UK early years education but still relatively rare in Dubai, is a specific point of difference worth asking about if outdoor, nature-based learning matters to your family.
Dubai International Academy Town Square
Location: Town Square, Dubai
Curriculum: IB Candidate School
Admission years: Pre-KG to Grade 8
Fees: AED 49,000 to AED 70,500
This campus builds directly on the reputation of DIA Emirates Hills and DIA Al Barsha, both established, well-regarded IB schools, giving Town Square and neighbouring community families access to a known brand without the drive to Emirates Hills or Al Barsha. Planned facilities include swimming pools, performing arts spaces, libraries, sports infrastructure and collaborative learning areas, with a stated emphasis on community engagement and child-centred learning.
Raffles World Academy Sharjah
Location: Aljada, Sharjah
Curriculum: IB Candidate School
Admission years: Pre-KG to Grade 8
Fees: AED 40,000 to AED 64,000
This is the first Innoventures Education school in Sharjah, bringing an inquiry-led IB approach to families living in the emirate. School leaders have highlighted a balanced focus on academics, wellbeing, reading, sport, creativity and life skills development. For Sharjah and Aljada families who have previously had to consider a Dubai commute for a strong IB option, this is a significant new local choice.
Recently opened and expanding schools worth knowing about
Beyond the brand-new campuses opening for 2026-27, several schools that opened in 2025 or earlier this year continue to expand their year groups and are still very much live options for admissions this cycle.
Dubai British School Mira
Curriculum: UK Curriculum
Opened: August 2025
Admission years: FS1 to Year 6, expanding to Year 13
Fees: AED 51,443 to AED 58,836
The latest addition to the Dubai British School family under Taaleem, joining established campuses in Emirates Hills and Jumeirah Park. Located in a rapidly developing residential area, it offers families a premium UK education pathway closer to home in Mira.
Victory Heights Primary School, City of Arabia
Curriculum: UK Curriculum
Opened: August 2025
Admission years: FS1 to Year 6
Fees: AED 40,000 to AED 57,000
A second campus following the success of the original Victory Heights Primary School in Dubai Sports City, extending the group's primary education model to families in and around City of Arabia.
Arcadia Global School
Curriculum: UK Curriculum
Current admission years: FS to Year 9
Expansion planned: Year 10 in 2026
Fees: AED 40,000 to AED 61,000
Arcadia continues its phased expansion as its founding cohort progresses through the school, and has built a following among families seeking a British curriculum option with a community-focused approach and a more accessible fee structure than many of the newer premium brands.
Dwight School Dubai
Curriculum: IB Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme
Admission years: Pre-KG to Grade 12
Fees: AED 65,117 to AED 110,755
Dwight offers the full IB continuum, and from 2025-26 expanded further with the introduction of the IB Career-related Programme, giving students an additional pathway beyond the traditional Diploma route, particularly relevant for students who want a more applied, career-connected final two years of school.
What parents should actually weigh when considering a new school
New schools bring real advantages: modern facilities built for current teaching methods, smaller early cohorts that can mean more individual attention, and, in several cases here, shorter commutes for families in newer communities. They also come with a genuine trade-off worth being honest about: a brand-new school has no KHDA inspection history yet, no track record of exam results, and no established alumni network or university destination data.
For families weighing a new opening against an established school, three practical questions help balance the decision. First, what is the school's expansion timeline, and does it match your child's age and years remaining before secondary transition or exams? A school currently admitting only FS to Year 6 will need to have grown alongside your child by the time they reach Year 10 or 12. Second, what is the leadership team's track record at other schools, since an experienced principal and senior team meaningfully de-risks a new opening even without an inspection history yet. Third, what does the fee structure look like once your child reaches the senior years, since several of the schools above have not yet published fees for their upper year groups.
For families who prioritise a longer track record and established KHDA ratings, the recently opened and expanding schools listed above (Dubai British School Mira, Victory Heights City of Arabia, Arcadia Global School, Dwight School Dubai) offer a middle ground: newer campuses, but backed by parent groups and school brands with an existing UAE track record.
Bringing it together
For UAE families starting their 2026-27 school search, this year's wave of openings genuinely widens the map, not just in curriculum choice, but in geography. Bur Dubai, Mudon, Town Square, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai Sports City and Aljada families now have strong British and IB options considerably closer to home than in previous years. The right choice, as always, comes down to matching a specific school's curriculum, culture, and growth trajectory against your own child's needs and your family's plans for the years ahead.
Sources:
Khaleej Times, "UAE's new British, IB, international schools in 2026: A complete guide for parents" by Nandini Sircar (July 22, 2026). https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/schools-and-parents/uae-british-ib-international-schools-2026-fees-admission-curriculum
