GEMS World Academy Dubai

GEMS World Academy in Al Barsha South is the flagship IB school of GEMS Education. It was authorised to teach the PYP in 2010, according to Wikipedia, and delivers all four IB programmes from Pre-KG to Grade 12. KHDA's directory dates it from 2008 and lists Very Good for 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2022-23 and 2023-24, with Very Good for wellbeing and inclusion. The 2023-24 report records 2,022 pupils, 188 teachers and 104 teaching assistants, the highest assistant count among the IB schools in this guide. The KG and PYP phases show a gap: teaching and assessment are Outstanding in KG but Very Good in the PYP, while personal development and care and support are Outstanding in both. Inspectors highlighted high achievement in KG, personal and social development, pastoral care, parental involvement and efficient management and resources. The wellbeing section describes an ethos built on CARE principles, meaning Community, Ambition, Respect and Endeavour. KHDA's recommendations were to use assessment more effectively for EAL students and newcomers and to deliver consistently strong teaching in Islamic Education, Arabic and mathematics. SchoolsCompared.com describes a happy, caring school that focuses on the whole child and calls FS and primary provision outstanding, but gives it a parent rating of 41, the lowest on this list, and names high fees as the main room for improvement. The school's tuition page lists KHDA-approved 2025-26 fees of AED 71,113 for Pre-K and KG1, AED 88,960 for KG2 to Grade 4 and AED 102,378 for Grade 5, and KHDA's directory shows the same figures for 2026-27 after the freeze. That puts Grade 5 at AED 44,395 more than Dubai International Academy in Emirates Hills charges for Year 6. SchoolsCompared.com describes beyond-outstanding facilities and heavy yearly investment, which partly explains the price. Daily hours are not listed publicly. For most families, the premium over cheaper Very Good IB schools is hard to justify on ratings alone.