Al Dhafra Private Schools – Abu Dhabi
About Al Dhafra Private Schools – Abu Dhabi
Al Dhafra Private Schools – Abu Dhabi is a private, co-educational American-curriculum school in Mohammed Bin Zayed City, founded in 1983 and one of the emirate's longest-running American schools (it moved to its purpose-built MBZ City campus in 2012). It runs a US curriculum from Pre-KG to Grade 12, leading to the US High School Diploma (Standard and Advanced Studies) with Advanced Placement, and is a US College Board AP testing center. The school is co-educational in the early years and teaches in single-gender classes from Grade 5. Accredited by Cognia, and named a Cognia "School of Distinction" in 2024, it is rated Very Good by ADEK (2024/25), with Protection, Care, Guidance & Support rated Outstanding. It serves around 1,320 students, roughly 70% of them Emirati, and reports close to 100% university acceptance.
Fees read from the school's published 2026-27 fee schedule; ADEK rating from its 2024-25 inspection report. How Talem verifies →
Annual tuition fees
Fees for 2026/2027, per year group. Excludes registration, uniform, and transport.
Tuition is ADEK's approved schedule for 2026-2027. The school's own fee page still displays its 2024-2025 schedule, which ADEK has since superseded, so the regulator's current figure is used here. ADEK states these are the maximum a school may charge, so the actual bill can be lower. ADEK includes the standardized assessment fee in tuition for Grades 3 to 9. Books and uniforms are not included. The school takes no deposit - ADEK prohibits it - and any registration fee is capped at 5% of annual tuition and deducted from the tuition bill. The school publishes no discount, scholarship or refund policy.
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ADEK Rating
ADEK 2024–2025 inspection
Stages & pathways
Kindergarten
Pre-KG-KG2Co-educational, American early years (US standards) with Arabic.
Elementary
Grades 1-5American elementary curriculum with UAE MoE Arabic, Islamic Studies and Social Studies. Single-gender classes begin in Grade 5.
Middle School
Grades 6-8Single-gender American middle-school programme in dedicated laboratories.
High School
Grades 9-12The US High School Diploma, Standard (Grade 11) and Advanced Studies (Grade 12), with Advanced Placement in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Human Geography. SAT preparation and IELTS for all students; a US College Board AP testing center.
How to apply
Facilities
Seven Science Laboratories
Seven science laboratories across the school.
ICT Rooms & 1:1 iPads
Five ICT rooms plus a 1:1 device programme (~300 iPads) and interactive whiteboards.
Two Libraries
Separate junior and senior libraries.
Art & Music Facilities
Dedicated art and music facilities.
Olympic-Sized Swimming Pool
An Olympic-sized swimming pool plus a KG splash pool.
Gymnasium
An indoor gymnasium.
Shaded Sports Area
A covered (shaded) outdoor sports area.
Medical Clinic
An on-campus school clinic.
School leadership
Dr David Craig Evans
Principal
Principal of Al Dhafra Private Schools – Abu Dhabi since 2019, leading the American-curriculum school through its ADEK Very Good rating and Cognia School of Distinction award.
Sara Noble
Vice Principal / Head of Secondary
Heba Al Hameli
Director of Stakeholder Affairs
Jawdat Al Asad
Deputy Head of Secondary
Alan Georges
Head of High School
Rob Clive Faulkner
Head of Middle School
Helen Mulligan
Head of Elementary School
Keely Bebbington
Head of Early Years
Etab Sharaf Eddin
Head of Inclusion/POD Coordinator
Ziyad Ashour
Head of ICT
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Questions & answers
Where we are
ME09 Mohammed Bin Zayed City, PO Box 25801, Abu Dhabi, UAE
