This page compares 15 international schools in Abu Dhabi with lower published tuition, drawn from the 30 schools ExpatSchoolGuide lists in the city. The lowest published annual fee is 10,000 and the highest in this comparison set is 66,030, quoted in $ / AED.
"Affordable" here means lower published tuition relative to other schools in Abu Dhabi — not a judgement about quality, and not an objective list of the cheapest schools in the city. Fees vary by year group and rise through secondary school, and most schools charge registration, transport, uniform and examination costs on top of tuition.
| School | Curriculum | Ages | Lowest published fee | Highest published fee | Currency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Bateen Academy | American | 3-18 | 10,000 | 18,000 | $ |
| Global Indian International School Abu Dhabi | CBSE (Indian Curriculum) | 3-18 | 11,540 | 13,650 | AED |
| American Community School Abu Dhabi | American standards-based curriculum (Common Core) + IB Diploma Programme + Advanced Placement (AP) courses | 4-18 | 14,000 | 28,000 | $ |
| Abu Dhabi International School | American | 3-18 | 15,160 | 46,400 | AED |
| Emirates National School | American | 3-18 | 22,190 | 56,170 | AED |
| GEMS Cambridge International School Abu Dhabi | British | 3-18 | 23,060 | 40,340 | AED |
| International Community School Abu Dhabi | American | 4-18 | 24,380 | 53,350 | AED |
| Merryland International School Abu Dhabi | Cambridge International Curriculum (Early Years to A Levels) | 4-18 | 25,200 | 46,620 | AED |
| Al Yasmina Academy Abu Dhabi | American | 3-11 | 32,000 | 38,400 | AED |
| Lycée Louis Massignon Abu Dhabi | French | 3-18 | 32,000 | 65,000 | AED |
| American International School in Abu Dhabi | American, IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), IB Diploma Programme (DP) | 4–18 | 32,950 | 59,900 | AED |
| Lycée Français Théodore Monod Abu Dhabi | French | 2-18 | 33,490 | 65,250 | AED |
| Deutsche Schule Abu Dhabi | German | 4-18 | 37,570 | 56,600 | AED |
| SABIS International School Abu Dhabi | British | 3–18 | 39,500 | 62,200 | AED |
| Al Raha International School | IB | 4-18 | 41,960 | 66,030 | AED |
| School | Curriculum | Ages | Annual fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi Grammar School Canada | Canadian | PK–12 | Not published |
| Al Dhafra Private School Abu Dhabi | American | PK–12 | Not published |
| Emirates National Schools Abu Dhabi | American | PK–12 | Not published |
| Emirates Private School Abu Dhabi | British | 4-18 | Not published |
| Rawafed Private School | British | 3–11 | Not published |
| St Joseph's School Abu Dhabi | British | 3–18 | Not published |
The figures above are annual tuition as published by each school, quoted in $ / AED. Where a school publishes a range, the lower figure normally applies to the earliest year groups and the higher figure to the senior school. Application and registration fees, deposits, transport, uniform, meals, trips and external examination entries are commonly billed separately.
Across this comparison set the curricula on offer are American (6 schools), British (2 schools), French (2 schools), CBSE (Indian Curriculum) (1 school), American standards-based curriculum (Common Core) + IB Diploma Programme + Advanced Placement (AP) courses (1 school), Cambridge International Curriculum (Early Years to A Levels) (1 school).
The age ranges above show the full span each school covers. A school with a lower starting fee may still cost more overall if fees step up sharply at secondary level, so check the published fee for the year group your child will enter and the years after it.
ExpatSchoolGuide does not rank schools by price alone. Among the 24 schools in Abu Dhabi that publish tuition, the lowest published annual fee is 10,000 at Al Bateen Academy. Published fees usually cover tuition only and vary by year group, so confirm current figures with the school.
Across the schools compared here, published annual tuition runs from 10,000 to 66,030 ($ / AED). Registration, transport, uniform and examination charges are normally additional and are not included in these figures.
The comparison table lists the 15 schools in Abu Dhabi with the lowest published annual tuition in the ExpatSchoolGuide dataset, alongside curriculum and age range. A further 6 schools in Abu Dhabi do not publish fees and are shown separately as "Not published".
Yes. GEMS Cambridge International School Abu Dhabi teaches a British curriculum and has the lowest published annual tuition among British-curriculum schools in this comparison, starting at AED 23,060.
Yes. Al Bateen Academy teaches an American curriculum and has the lowest published annual tuition among American-curriculum schools in this comparison, starting at $ 10,000.
The lower-fee schools compared here teach American, British, French, CBSE (Indian Curriculum), American standards-based curriculum (Common Core) + IB Diploma Programme + Advanced Placement (AP) courses, Cambridge International Curriculum (Early Years to A Levels). Curriculum information comes from each school's own published material. Accreditation and examination centre status should be confirmed directly with the school.
This page compares the international schools ExpatSchoolGuide already lists in Abu Dhabi, ordered by the lowest annual tuition each school publishes. It is not an editorial ranking, no school pays to be included or excluded, and fees a school does not publish are shown as "Not published" rather than estimated.