The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys
About The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys
The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys (SZPAB) is a private academy on Al Falah Street in Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, managed by GEMS Education and established in 2015 after its sister Academy for Girls. It delivers a blended, bilingual curriculum, the American Massachusetts Common Core combined with the UAE Ministry of Education programme (Arabic, Islamic Studies, UAE Social Studies and "My Identity"), from Pre-KG to Grade 12, with Advanced Placement (AP) courses recognised by the College Board and accreditation from CIS and NEASC. Classes are co-educational from Pre-KG to Grade 3 and boys-only from Grade 4. Around 1,340 students attend (about 93% Emirati), taught by some 130 teachers at a 1:11 ratio. The academy is rated Outstanding by ADEK, up from Very Good, and combines a strong national identity with a modern, US-aligned education on a well-equipped campus with science and LEGO innovation labs, two swimming pools, a running track and extensive sports facilities.
Fees read from the school's published 2026-27 fee schedule; ADEK rating from its 2024-25 inspection report. Last checked 30 June 2026. How Talem verifies →
Annual tuition fees
Fees for 2026/2027, per year group. Excludes registration, uniform, and transport.
The price shown is what the school applies. ADEK's figures alongside are a ceiling, and the school charges that ceiling on every year group except Pre-K, where it applies AED 45,000 against an approved AED 58,390. Pre-K runs the same hours as KG1 and KG2, so that is a genuine reduction rather than a shorter day, and it is specific to this campus - the sister girls' academy prices Pre-K at the same level as its kindergarten years. Note the school's fee page still carries a 2025-2026 label while the 2026-2027 admission handbook it links shows the same figures, and ADEK states its schedule stands until replaced. Tuition excludes uniform, transport and a compulsory digital device in Grades 3 to 12, whose cost the school says it will notify separately.
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ADEK Rating
ADEK 2024–2025 inspection
Stages & pathways
Kindergarten
Pre-KG-KG2Co-educational early years blending US early-learning standards with Arabic and UAE cultural foundations.
Elementary
Grades 1-5The American Massachusetts Common Core blended with UAE MoE subjects. Co-educational to Grade 3, then boys-only from Grade 4.
Middle School
Grades 6-8Subject-specialist middle school (boys-only) with French introduced and STEM through LEGO innovation and digital learning rooms.
High School
Grades 9-12The US High School Diploma with Advanced Placement (AP) courses (College Board), blended with UAE MoE requirements. Accredited by CIS and NEASC.
How to apply
Facilities
Five Science Laboratories
Five well-equipped science laboratories.
LEGO Innovation Rooms
Two LEGO innovation rooms for STEM and robotics.
Specialist Digital Learning Rooms
Two specialist digital learning rooms.
Green Studio
A green-screen media studio for digital production.
Music & Drama Rooms
Dedicated music and drama rooms.
Art & Technology Rooms
Art and technology rooms.
Two Swimming Pools
Two swimming pools, including a 25-metre pool.
Sports Hall
An indoor sports hall.
School leadership
Darren Nicholas
Principal
Principal of The Sheikh Zayed Private Academy for Boys, leading the GEMS-managed bilingual academy through its ADEK Outstanding rating.
Ahmed AlShehhi
Vice Principal
Nicola Lavis
Head of Early Childhood
Matthew Cook
Head of Elementary
Gregory Etheridge
Head of Secondary
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Questions & answers
Where we are
Al Falah Street, Al Khalidiyah, PO Box 812, Abu Dhabi, UAE
