Universal American School
Very Good Festival City, Dubai · American
- KHDA rating
- Very Good
High quality across the board with minor areas to improve — often better value than Outstanding. Ratings are from the last full inspection cycle (2023–24).
- Annual fees
- AED 44,000 to 73,000 a year
Varies by year group; confirm current fees with the school. 2026–27 fees are frozen by KHDA directive.
- Curriculum
- American
- Established
- Founded 1997
- School transport
- Bus service available
- Location
- Festival City, Dubai
District-level pin for Festival City — use the Google Maps link for the exact gate.
Link verified against a live domain, July 2026.
Check travel time from your location
Opens live directions in Google Maps — real traffic from your own address beats any published estimate. School-run traffic peaks roughly 7–8am; test your route at drop-off time.
In context
Its mid-range fee is about 54 per cent above the median for American schools in this guide (AED 38,000). It is one of 46 schools in this guide currently rated Very Good.
Worth comparing: Uptown International School (AED 31,145 to 78,420 a year) — a lower-fee school with the same Very Good rating and curriculum.
These comparisons are computed from the verified data in this register, not editorial opinion.
What the inspectors said
Paraphrased from the last full DSIB inspection (2023–24 cycle) and its published record — read the complete report on the official KHDA directory.
Strengths the inspectors named:
- Very Good in 2023–24, with wellbeing and inclusion also rated Very Good — one of a small number of US-curriculum schools in Dubai at this level, after eight years at Good.
- Students’ performance in English and science very good across all phases, mathematics consolidated, and Islamic Education outcomes strengthened through better teaching.
- Exemplary behaviour and respectful relationships — the report’s most striking note is the school’s culture.
- Facilities rated Outstanding: ‘the premises and specialist facilities provide an outstanding learning environment’, with new laboratories and extensive science, arts and sports provision.
- Parent regard rated Outstanding, with families explicitly credited for supporting wellbeing and inclusion.
What they asked the school to improve:
- Attainment in Arabic as a first language, particularly in Middle school, needs sharper focus on key language skills.
- Self-evaluation needs to measure the impact of strategic planning more closely.
- IB Diploma averages sit in the low-to-mid 30s — solid and above the UAE average, but not the extremes some families expect at this profile; ask what the spread looks like.
Inclusion (students of determination): Very Good — KHDA’s 2023–24 inclusion rating, with wellbeing also Very Good, and parents explicitly credited by inspectors for the way they support both. See the special educational needs guide for the questions to ask on a visit.
Inspector summaries are being added school by school as each report is read — 169 of 169 so far, dated per cycle, never invented. A school without a summary yet is unread, not unjudged.
Visit kit
Questions worth asking on a tour — tuned to this school’s rating and curriculum:
- Who leads inclusion here — and may we meet them before enrolling?
- How much staff turnover did you have last year, and why?
- What are actual class sizes this term — not the maximum?
- How and how often will I hear about my child’s progress?
- How long is the real waiting list for my child’s year group, and how does sibling priority work?
Saved only on this device — never uploaded, never shared.
Special educational needs? Read the inclusion guide before you visit.
Other schools in Festival City
- Deira International School — Outstanding, AED 44,616 to 89,889 a year
Work at this school? Correct or update this record — verified corrections are made promptly and logged publicly.