The five 2026-27 KHDA fee sheets in this worksheet put Year 7 published totals between AED 71,976 and AED 97,415, before the listed required supplies and any optional services. The useful comparison is not a ranking: hold the year group and academic year constant, then separate tuition, required supplies, optional services, curriculum route and the school-run test.

The broader Dubai school shortlist for relocating families is the cluster starting point. This companion narrows the job to five schools with normally fetchable KHDA fee sheets for the same two year groups, checked on 25 September 2026.

Five 2026-27 school fee sheets at a glance

The cleanest comparison holds curriculum labels and year groups constant. All five rows below use KHDA's UK-curriculum fact sheets for Year 7 and Year 10. KHDA, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, is Dubai's private-education regulator.

The locations, curricula, grade spans and rating periods come from the live KHDA schools directory, accessed 25 September 2026. Required-supply ranges are recomputed from each fact sheet's listed lines. Optional transport remains outside those totals.

Read the KHDA sheet in three layers

The number headed “Total Fees” is only the first layer of a family's worksheet. KHDA says its School Fees Fact Sheet includes the mandatory and optional fees a school may charge during one academic year. It also explains that required educational supplies may be bought from the school or an external supplier where available, while optional services are generally outside curriculum delivery (KHDA fee-sheet FAQ, fetched 25 September 2026).

1. KHDA total fees: use the total shown for the child's exact year group and academic year. At JESS Arabian Ranches, the Year 7 and Year 10 sheets show tuition of AED 92,857, a listed AED 934 discount and total fees of AED 91,923. The arithmetic is AED 92,857 minus AED 934.
2. Required education supplies: add every applicable listed line. Uniform, stationery, books, a laptop or digital device and replacement ID amounts vary by school. A zero lower bound means the sheet publishes a range beginning at zero; it does not prove that every family will pay nothing.
3. Optional services: keep transport, trips, clubs, canteen and other elected services in separate worksheet rows. Do not add a high-end optional range unless the family expects to use it.

Application and enrolment cash also needs correct labelling. Each selected 2026-27 sheet lists an AED 500 application fee. It also states that new-student enrolment can be up to 10% of tuition and is deductible from first-term fees, while re-enrolment can be up to 5% of tuition or AED 500, whichever is higher, and is deductible from first-term fees. Those payments affect timing, but treating the deductible amount as a second annual tuition charge would double-count it.

KHDA announced on 22 May 2026 that Dubai private-school fees would not increase for the 2026-27 academic year (KHDA, 22 May 2026). That freezes the permitted school-fee increase for this academic year. It does not make uniforms, transport or other separately listed services identical between schools.

1. Dubai College: secondary-only UK continuity in Al Sufouh

Dubai College is the closest fit here for a family seeking a Year 7 to Year 13 UK secondary route in Al Sufouh First. The KHDA directory lists that grade span and shows an Outstanding overall rating for 2023-24, while the Year 7 and Year 10 2026-27 sheets each publish total fees of AED 97,415.

Best fit: a relocating family entering at secondary stage and testing an Al Sufouh school run. Year 7 total: AED 97,415. Year 10 total: AED 97,415. Required supplies: uniform AED 1,250-1,600 and books AED 0, for a recomputed AED 1,250-1,600. Fee plus listed required supplies: AED 98,665-99,015 for either selected year group. Optional services to hold separately: transport AED 7,500; international trips AED 3,000-16,000.

The Year 10 minus Year 7 difference is AED 0 on these two sheets. That result applies only to the two named year groups for 2026-27; it is not a claim that every Dubai College year carries one fee.

2. Jumeirah College: a Year 7 entry point in Al Safa

Jumeirah College is the strongest location match in this set for a household testing Al Safa First as the daily anchor. KHDA lists the school from Year 7 to Year 13 under the UK curriculum and shows its latest overall rating as Outstanding for 2023-24. Its Year 7 and Year 10 sheets were checked on 25 September 2026.

Best fit: a secondary-age family whose home search can be tested against an Al Safa gate. Year 7 total: AED 78,946. Year 10 total: AED 88,813. Required supplies: uniform AED 500-2,000, stationery AED 7,900-10,500, device AED 515 and replacement ID AED 20, for a recomputed AED 8,935-13,035. Fee plus listed required supplies: Year 7 AED 87,881-91,981; Year 10 AED 97,748-101,848. Optional transport: no transport line appears on the fetched Year 7 or Year 10 sheet, so it remains a school-confirmation item rather than an assumed zero.

The difference between the published Year 10 and Year 7 totals is AED 9,867. Keeping the AED 7,900-10,500 stationery line visible is important because it is part of the required-supply section on the fetched sheet, not an optional-service estimate.

3. GEMS Wellington International: UK at the compared stages in Al Sufouh

GEMS Wellington International is the broader curriculum-route option in this five-school set. KHDA lists UK and IB routes at the school, while the two sheets compared here are specifically UK Year 7 and UK Year 10. The directory shows an Outstanding overall rating for 2023-24 and an Al Sufouh First location.

Best fit: a family that wants a UK comparison at Years 7 and 10 while keeping the school's later curriculum routes on the next-stage checklist. Year 7 total: AED 82,540. Year 10 total: AED 92,879. Required supplies: uniform AED 800-3,000, device AED 515 and replacement ID AED 20, for a recomputed AED 1,335-3,535. Fee plus listed required supplies: Year 7 AED 83,875-86,075; Year 10 AED 94,214-96,414. Optional transport: AED 8,000-12,000.

The Year 10 total is AED 10,339 above the Year 7 total. Families comparing an older child's entry can keep that stage change separate from the optional transport range instead of collapsing both into one unexplained number.

4. JESS Arabian Ranches: the community-linked school run

JESS Arabian Ranches is the direct community-location match in this set. KHDA lists the branch in Arabian Ranches, with UK and IB routes across its grade span, and an Outstanding overall rating for 2023-24. The selected Year 7 and Year 10 sheets are both UK.

Best fit: a family testing an Arabian Ranches home and school pairing as one daily route. Year 7 total after listed discount: AED 91,923. Year 10 total after listed discount: AED 91,923. Required supplies: uniform AED 900-1,200, device AED 5,000-7,000 and replacement ID AED 30-150, for a recomputed AED 5,930-8,350. Fee plus listed required supplies: AED 97,853-100,273 for either selected year group. Optional transport: AED 9,000.

Both sheets show the same AED 92,857 tuition, AED 934 discount and AED 91,923 total. The discount is part of the current sheet evidence; it should be rechecked on the next academic year's sheet rather than projected forward.

5. Dubai British School: all-through UK continuity in Emirates Hills

Dubai British School is the all-through UK option in Emirates Hills in this set. KHDA lists FS1 to Year 13 and shows an Outstanding overall rating for 2023-24. The selected Year 7 and Year 10 sheets each publish total fees of AED 71,976.

Best fit: a household prioritising one UK school across more stages while testing an Emirates Hills school run. Year 7 total: AED 71,976. Year 10 total: AED 71,976. Required supplies: uniform AED 0-2,000, books AED 0, device AED 1,900-6,000 and replacement ID AED 0-50, for a recomputed AED 1,900-8,050. Fee plus listed required supplies: AED 73,876-80,026 for either selected year group. Optional transport: up to AED 10,000 on the fetched sheets.

The wide required-supply range is driven mainly by the published device band. A parent already holding a compatible device still needs the school to confirm specifications before replacing the worksheet amount with an actual household figure.

The five calendars align on the main 2026-27 dates

Calendar timing does not separate these five schools on KHDA's published headline dates. Each school-specific KHDA calendar shows 185 school days, the academic year starting on 31 August 2026 and ending on 2 July 2027. Each also marks winter break from 14 December 2026 through 1 January 2027 and spring break from 5 to 9 April 2027.

These dates were fetched on 25 September 2026. Public-holiday dates on the calendars are marked tentative and subject to official announcements, so travel planning still needs a final calendar check.

Turn the comparison into a six-line parent worksheet

A useful worksheet produces a family-specific evidence file rather than a universal winner. One row per school is enough if each column has a defined source.

1. 1

   Fix the year group

   Use the child's confirmed 2026-27 placement label. Do not compare Year 7 at one school with Year 10 at another, and do not convert an IB or US grade by assumption.

2. 2

   Copy KHDA total fees

   Enter the exact total from the matching academic-year fact sheet. Keep a link to that sheet and the date checked.

3. 3

   Add required supplies

   Add each applicable minimum and maximum separately. Do not let a correct grand total hide a missed uniform, stationery, device or ID line.

4. 4

   Select optional services

   Add transport, trips, clubs or canteen only where the household expects to use them. A missing line remains “confirm with school”, not zero.

5. 5

   Lock the calendar

   Record the published start, end and breaks for the same 2026-27 year. Recheck tentative public holidays closer to travel.

6. 6

   Test the school run

   Fix the intended home pin, exact school gate, phase arrival time and an ordinary school-day departure. Repeat the route at the same weekday peak before using it in a housing decision.

The school commute evidence method explains how to save repeatable route captures instead of relying on an undated travel-time estimate. Commute is strongest as a positive fit test: Al Sufouh for Dubai College or Wellington, Al Safa for Jumeirah College, Arabian Ranches for JESS, and Emirates Hills for Dubai British School.

Read “Outstanding” with its actual period

Outstanding is the latest overall rating displayed for each of these schools, and the period shown is 2023-24. It is useful evidence, but it is not a new 2026-27 score.

KHDA announced on 3 June 2026 that quality-assurance visits would resume in 2026-27. Eligible schools may receive either a full inspection, followed by a comprehensive report and overall rating, or a shorter monitoring visit, followed by a concise report without a new overall rating. KHDA says either visit comes with no more than 24 hours' notice (KHDA, 3 June 2026).

That makes the rating column a dated input, not a permanent label. Before applying, open the live directory entry again and record whether a newer report has been published.

Frequently asked questions, checked 25 September 2026

How much are Dubai school fees in 2026-27?+

Across the five Year 7 fee sheets compared here, KHDA total fees range from AED 71,976 to AED 97,415. The Year 10 range happens to have the same endpoints, but individual schools can move between those stages. This is a five-school worksheet, not a Dubai-wide fee range.

Are Dubai private-school fees frozen for 2026-27?+

Yes. KHDA announced on 22 May 2026 that there would be no increase in private-school fees for the 2026-27 academic year. Required supplies and optional services still differ by school and are shown separately on fee sheets.

Are uniforms and transport included in KHDA tuition?+

Not automatically. KHDA's fact sheet separates total fees, required education supplies and optional services. In these five examples, uniforms sit under required supplies, while transport appears under optional services where the fetched sheet lists it.

Is an Outstanding KHDA rating a 2026-27 inspection result?+

Not for the five directory records used here. Each shows Outstanding for the 2023-24 period. KHDA resumed quality-assurance visits in 2026-27, but a monitoring visit does not produce a new overall rating.

How should a relocating family compare the school commute?+

Use the exact campus gate and the child's phase arrival time, then capture the route from the intended home on an ordinary school day at the relevant weekday peak. Repeat it before treating the result as housing evidence.