DP★ 6.4/10
Abu Dhabi International Private School
63rd Street, P.O.Box 133311, Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi, 0, U.A.E.
1
IB Programme
6.4/10
Rating
9
Reviews
$34K - $55K
Salary Range
At a Glance
TypePrivate
BoardingBoarding available
LanguagesEnglish
IB RegionIB Africa, Europe, Middle East
GenderCo-educational
LanguageENGLISH
IB Authorized01 September 2015
University CounsellorNo
IB Programmes
DP
Diploma ProgrammeAccreditations
New England Assoc. of Schools & Colleges
Teacher Reviews
Al Raha International School is a fully accredited IB school (PYP, MYP, DP) that has grown significantly since its early years. Teachers consistently mention the quality of their colleagues and the genuinely international student body as highlights, though experiences with leadership and resource allocation vary considerably. The school is part of the for-profit Taaleem group, which influences decisions around class sizes, budgets, and staffing deployment.
Pros
- +Teaching staff are described as competent, energetic, collegial, and of top quality, with strong support among colleagues.
- +The student body is truly international (over 65 nationalities represented), generally well-behaved, respectful, and interested in learning.
- +The school has achieved full IB accreditation across all programs and recognition as a high-performing school through external inspections.
- +Abu Dhabi offers a comfortable lifestyle with excellent medical care, reasonable cost of living compared to Dubai, and good work-life balance is achievable with planning.
- +Housing, medical coverage, and yearly flights home are provided as part of the compensation package, and dependent children's tuition fees are now fully covered.
Cons
- –Leadership quality is frequently questioned, with several comments describing administrators as lacking vision, poor planning skills, and being unresponsive to teacher input.
- –Class sizes and teaching loads are notably high (25 students per class mentioned in PYP and MYP), reflecting the for-profit nature of the Taaleem group.
- –Basic classroom resources and materials are reportedly insufficient despite high school fees, with teachers often purchasing supplies themselves.
- –Communication protocols and administrative procedures need improvement, particularly in the secondary school.
- –Early operational issues included problems with housing quality, visa processing delays, and inadequate moving allowances for new staff.
Contact
63rd Street, P.O.Box 133311, Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi, 0, U.A.E.