7 Best ICSE Schools in Dubai 2025–26 - Fees, Admission & KHDA Reviews

GEMS Modern Academy is a KHDA Outstanding-rated school in Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, offering a unique dual Indian/IB curriculum for students from KG1 to Grade 12, with annual fees ranging from AED 30,983 (Indian pre-primary) to AED 73,876 (IB Grade 11–12) for the 2025–2026 academic year.

What You Need to Know

• GEMS Modern Academy is one of only a handful of schools in Dubai to offer a fully integrated dual curriculum pathway, allowing your child to switch between CISCE and IB streams from Grade 6 onwards.
• GEMS Modern Academy holds accreditation from CISCE, IB, and CIS — three internationally recognised bodies — providing confidence that your child's qualifications will be recognised globally.
• GEMS Modern Academy's 2023–2024 DSIB inspection rated it Outstanding overall, with students achieving outstanding learning skills across all phases, from KG through to Grade 12.
• GEMS Modern Academy has been a fixture in the Dubai education landscape since 1986, making it one of the oldest continuously operating outstanding-rated private schools in the emirate.

School Performance

Source: DSIB Inspection 2023–2024

Summary Report | Full Inspection Report

Annual Fees 2025–2026

Source: KHDA Profile. Indian pathway (left) / IB pathway (right) where fees differ.

Admission Process

1. Apply → Online via the GEMS Education portal at gemsmodernacademy-dubai.com
2. Assessment → Age-appropriate academic assessment for most year groups
3. Review → School reviews application, assessment results, and previous school reports
4. Offer → Decision typically communicated within 2–3 weeks of assessment
5. Enrol → Registration deposit and standard documentation required to secure the place

Ambassador School is a KHDA Very Good-rated CISCE school (ICSE/ISC curriculum) in Mankhool, Dubai, serving KG1 to Grade 12 with annual fees of AED 22,848–45,750 and Outstanding English results across all phases for 2023–2024.

What You Need to Know

• Ambassador School achieves Outstanding English results across every phase — KG through Secondary — with PIRLS international reading literacy scores of 591, well above Dubai's school average and classified in the High International band.
• Ambassador School's curriculum design and implementation is rated Outstanding across all phases, with AI lessons, robotics, financial literacy and entrepreneurship woven through the programme from Primary onwards.
• Ambassador School records Outstanding science achievement in Secondary, with students designing experiments to address real-world challenges and demonstrating strong inquiry and critical thinking skills.
• Ambassador School's health and safety provision is rated Outstanding in every phase, with robust safeguarding procedures, detailed risk management and an outstanding personal development culture throughout.

School Performance

Source: DSIB Inspection 2023–2024

Summary Report | Full Inspection Report

Annual Fees 2025–2026

Admission Process

1. Visit www.ambassadorschool.com and complete the online admission enquiry form.
2. Submit documents including your child's birth certificate, passport and Emirates ID copies, previous school records and a transfer certificate where applicable.
3. An assessment or placement session may be arranged depending on grade and timing of application.
4. On offer of a place, complete the enrolment formalities and fee deposit to secure your child's seat.
5. As a mid-sized school with limited seats per grade, early enquiry is advised — contact the admissions office directly for current availability.

Delhi Private School (DPS Dubai) is a KHDA Very Good-rated, co-educational CBSE school in Jebel Ali 1, Dubai, serving KG1 to Grade 12 with Science, Commerce, and Humanities streams at the senior level, with annual fees ranging from AED 10,883 to AED 15,234 — and one of the strongest CBSE academic track records of any school in Dubai.

What You Need to Know

• Delhi Private School Dubai achieved a 100% pass rate in the 2024 CBSE Grade 12 examinations with a school average of 90.4% — ranking it among the strongest CBSE performers in the UAE, with 62.8% of students scoring 90% and above and all students graduating in First Division.
• Delhi Private School Dubai achieved an average of 89.5% in the Grade 10 CBSE examinations in 2024, with 95.1% of students securing distinctions and the school producing 6 Gulf Toppers and 7 UAE Toppers at the CBSE Gulf Sahodaya Conference.
• Delhi Private School Dubai is one of the few CBSE schools in Dubai to offer all three senior school streams — Science, Commerce, and Humanities — giving your child genuine flexibility in choosing their academic pathway at Grade 11, including non-conventional subjects such as Hindustani Vocal, Yoga, Commercial Art, and Home Science.
• Delhi Private School Dubai is part of the Delhi Public School Society network and follows an interdisciplinary STEAM-focused approach, with strong emphasis on inquiry-based learning, robotics, and co-curricular activities alongside the core CBSE syllabus.

School Performance

Source: DSIB Inspection 2022–2023

Summary Report | Full Inspection Report

Annual Fees 2024–2025

Fee bands are indicative based on KHDA-published data. Contact Delhi Private School directly at www.dpsdubai.com for the confirmed 2025–2026 schedule. Sibling discounts of 25% for a third child, 50% from the fourth child onwards are available.

Admission Process

1. Apply → Register online at www.dpsdubai.com; upload required documents and pay the registration fee
2. Documents → Submit passport copy, birth certificate, UAE residence visa, and previous school reports
3. Assessment → School reviews all documentation; senior grade admissions (Grades 11–12) require Ministry of Education approval
4. Notification → Applicants receive an SMS/email confirmation followed by an appointment for registration formalities
5. Enrol → Submit original documents on the specified date; note that the academic year begins in April at DPS Dubai

The Indian High School Branch is a KHDA Good-rated, co-educational CBSE school located in Al Garhoud, Dubai — the junior campus of one of the UAE's most historic and respected Indian school groups, serving Pre-Primary to Grade 4, with annual fees ranging from AED 5,276 to AED 21,000 per year.

What You Need to Know

• The Indian High School is the oldest established Indian school group in the UAE, having first opened in Oud Metha in 1961 with just five students on land donated by the late H.H. Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum — a founding story that speaks to the depth of its roots in the Dubai community.
• The Indian High School (Garhoud Branch) serves as the junior feeder campus for children from Pre-Primary through Grade 4, after which students progress to the main Oud Metha senior campus (Grades 5–12), which holds a Very Good KHDA rating and serves over 5,300 students.
• The Indian High School is operated on a certified not-for-profit basis by a philanthropic Board of Trustees, meaning that fee surplus is reinvested directly into the school community — one of the reasons it has consistently offered among the most affordable fees of any CBSE school in Dubai.
• The Indian High School group has maintained Very Good and historically Outstanding KHDA ratings at its senior Oud Metha campus, making it the aspirational destination school for the community of children who begin their journey at the Garhoud branch.

School Performance

Source: DSIB Inspection 2022–2023

Summary Report | Full Inspection Report

Annual Fees 2024–2025

Fee bands are indicative based on KHDA-published data and third-party sources. Contact The Indian High School directly at ihsag.ihsdubai.org for the confirmed 2025–2026 fee schedule.

Admission Process

1. Apply → Register online via the Indian High School group website; note that the school is consistently oversubscribed and waiting lists are common
2. Documents → Provide passport copies, UAE residence visa, birth certificate, and vaccination records
3. Assessment → Age-appropriate assessment arranged for eligible applicants; the school prioritises applicants based on availability of places
4. Notification → Parents are informed of the outcome once the assessment and selection process is complete
5. Enrol → Complete enrolment formalities and pay required fees before the April academic year start; confirm transfer requirements if moving from another Dubai school

GEMS Our Own English High School (OOD) is a KHDA Very Good-rated, co-educational CBSE school in Al Warqa 1, Dubai, one of the longest-established Indian curriculum schools in the UAE, serving Pre-Primary to Grade 12 with Science, Commerce, and Humanities streams, with annual fees of AED 7,828 (KG) to AED 17,257 (Grade 11 Science) for the 2024–2025 academic year.

What You Need to Know

• GEMS Our Own English High School has held a KHDA Very Good rating for multiple consecutive years and achieved Outstanding ratings in Personal & Social Development across all school phases in the 2023–2024 inspection — a consistent indicator of a strong pastoral and character-building environment for your child.
• GEMS Our Own English High School earned Outstanding scores in Secondary mathematics and science attainment and progress, and Outstanding for English in the Middle and Secondary phases in 2023–2024 — evidence that the school's academic standards are genuinely high at the senior level where CBSE board results matter most.
• GEMS Our Own English High School has been operational since 1972, making it one of the oldest Indian curriculum schools in Dubai, and benefits from the infrastructure and professional development resources of the GEMS Education network.
• GEMS Our Own English High School offers all three CBSE senior school streams — Science, Commerce, and Humanities — giving students completing Grade 10 a genuine choice in their academic direction for the critical Grade 11–12 board examination years.

School Performance

Source: DSIB Inspection 2023–2024

Summary Report | Full Inspection Report

Annual Fees 2024–2025

Admission Process

1. Enquire → Contact the admissions team via www.gemsoo-dubai.com; the school is part of the GEMS Education admissions system
2. Apply → Submit an online application with required documents including passport, previous school reports, and vaccination records
3. Assessment → An age-appropriate placement assessment is arranged by the school's admissions team
4. Decision → Admission offered subject to assessment results and availability of places in the applied year group
5. Enrol → Confirm enrolment by submitting all documents and paying registration fees before the April academic year start

New Indian Model School is a KHDA Good-rated CBSE and Kerala Board school in Al Garhoud, Dubai, serving KG1 to Grade 12 with annual fees of AED 4,466–7,769 — the most affordable school in this guide — and Outstanding personal development across all phases for 2023–2024.

What You Need to Know

• New Indian Model School achieves Outstanding personal development across all four phases — KG through Secondary — with students demonstrating exemplary attitudes, self-reliance, empathy and a strong sense of community responsibility.
• New Indian Model School records Outstanding understanding of Islamic values and world cultures across every phase, with students actively engaged in charity initiatives, cultural campaigns and community leadership activities.
• New Indian Model School is one of only a small number of schools in Dubai to follow both CBSE and Kerala Board curricula, offering families a broader range of external examination pathways including Kerala Board exams in Grades 10 and 12.
• New Indian Model School achieves Very Good English in KG and Secondary, with particularly strong outcomes in Senior School CBSE and Kerala Board English examinations and a well-established reading literacy programme across the school.

School Performance

Source: DSIB Inspection 2023–2024

Summary Report | Full Inspection Report

Annual Fees 2025–2026

Admission Process

1. Visit www.nimsdxb.com and contact the school through their enquiry page or admissions team.
2. Submit your child's birth certificate, passport and Emirates ID copies, previous academic reports and transfer certificate.
3. Attend a grade-placement assessment or meeting with the school's admissions team.
4. Complete registration formalities and make the initial fee payment to secure your child's place.
5. As one of the largest Indian schools in Dubai with over 7,000 students, early application is strongly recommended to avoid waitlists.

JSS Private School (JSSPS) is a KHDA Very Good-rated, co-educational CBSE school in Al Wasl, Dubai, operated by the JSS Mahavidyapeetha trust, offering Pre-Primary to Grade 12, with annual fees ranging from AED 12,145 (Pre-Primary) to AED 26,375 (Grade 12) — and a standout record in English and science across all school phases.

What You Need to Know

• JSS Private School earned Outstanding scores for Science across KG and Secondary phases — including Outstanding for both attainment and progress at KG and Secondary levels — in its 2023–2024 DSIB inspection, reflecting particularly strong science teaching across the school's age range.
• JSS Private School achieved Outstanding scores for Teaching & Assessment and English attainment in the Secondary phase in 2023–2024, alongside Outstanding for Learning Skills in the secondary school — indicators that students in the senior years are well-prepared for the CBSE board examinations.
• JSS Private School upgraded from a Good to a Very Good KHDA rating in 2019–2020 and has maintained this rating since, including through the post-pandemic inspection cycles — a consistent performance record that gives parents confidence in the stability of standards at the school.
• JSS Private School is backed by the JSS Mahavidyapeetha trust, which operates more than 300 educational institutions across India — providing the school with a strong institutional foundation in education management, teacher training, and curriculum development.

School Performance

Source: DSIB Inspection 2023–2024

Summary Report | Full Inspection Report

Annual Fees 2024–2025

Admission Process

1. Enquire → Contact the JSS Private School admissions team via www.jsspsdubai.com or by visiting the campus
2. Apply → Complete the online application form and submit required documents (passport, UAE visa, previous school reports, birth certificate)
3. Assessment → Age-appropriate placement assessment arranged by the admissions team; Pre-Primary applicants may complete an observational assessment
4. Decision → Admission decision communicated within a reasonable timeframe following assessment and document review
5. Enrol → Pay the required registration fees and confirm enrolment before the April academic year start; mid-year applications are also considered subject to availability

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best Indian school in Dubai? GEMS Modern Academy is the highest-rated Indian curriculum school in Dubai, holding the KHDA's Outstanding rating — a distinction no other Indian curriculum school in the city has achieved — and it has maintained this since 2011. It also offers a unique dual CISCE/IB pathway from Grade 6, meaning students can pursue either Indian board qualifications or an IB Diploma at the same school. For families who prioritise CBSE specifically, Delhi Private School delivers some of the strongest board results in the UAE — a Grade 12 average of 90.4% and 100% pass rate in 2024.

What is the most affordable Indian curriculum school in Dubai? New Indian Model School is the most affordable school on this list, with KG1 fees starting at AED 4,466 per year — making it one of the lowest-fee schools of any curriculum in Dubai. GEMS Our Own English High School is the next most affordable at AED 7,828 for KG1. Both are CBSE-affiliated and serve well-established Indian expatriate communities. The Indian High School (Garhoud Branch) is also notably accessible at AED 5,276 for Pre-Primary — and as a not-for-profit trust-operated school, its low fees reflect a genuine community ethos rather than a compromise on standards.

What is the difference between CBSE and CISCE schools in Dubai? CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) is the most widely followed Indian curriculum in Dubai, with a structured syllabus strong in science and mathematics — Delhi Private School, GEMS Our Own English High School, New Indian Model School, and JSS Private School all follow CBSE. CISCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations) offers the ICSE at Grade 10 and ISC at Grade 12 — Ambassador School and GEMS Modern Academy both follow this board. CISCE is generally considered to place greater emphasis on English language, humanities, and project-based learning, whereas CBSE provides a more standardised, nationally recognised framework strongly aligned with Indian competitive entrance examinations.

When should I apply for an Indian curriculum school in Dubai? Most Indian curriculum schools in Dubai follow an April–March academic year, which differs from the September–June calendar of British and American schools. Applications for the April intake should ideally be submitted between November and February of the preceding year. New Indian Model School (7,273 students) and Delhi Private School (~3,800 students) tend to fill quickly at KG1 entry — early enquiry is strongly recommended. GEMS Modern Academy and Ambassador School accept year-round rolling applications but advise families to apply at least 3–6 months before the intended start date, particularly for Grade 6 onwards where dual-pathway placement decisions are made.

Which Indian curriculum school in Dubai is best for science and engineering-focused students? For CBSE students focused on science, Delhi Private School is the strongest performer at board level — with 90.4% school average at Grade 12 and consistent UAE Topper recognition. JSS Private School earned Outstanding DSIB scores for science across both KG and Secondary phases in 2023–2024, making it a strong foundation option. Ambassador School achieved Outstanding Secondary science results in 2023–2024 and offers strong CISCE ISC preparation. For students targeting the IB Diploma alongside an Indian school foundation, GEMS Modern Academy's dual-pathway from Grade 6 is the only option in this guide that keeps both routes open until Grade 10.

Conclusion

Dubai's Indian curriculum school landscape spans five distinct boards and fee levels from AED 4,466 to AED 73,876 — from the not-for-profit heritage of The Indian High School and the accessible affordability of New Indian Model School, through to the dual CISCE/IB excellence of GEMS Modern Academy. Whether your priority is strong board results, affordability, or a pathway to an international qualification, you'll find a well-matched option in this guide. Schedule school tours between November and February to secure an April place, as KG1 and senior science stream seats at the most popular schools fill quickly.