GEMS Dubai American Academy, part of the GEMS school group, is a US curriculum school offering a US High School Diploma and, increasingly, the option of the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme. It is the only US curriculum school to have achieved the highest inspection rating of Outstanding from the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau, now for eight years in a row.

The Story so Far...

Founded in 1997, GEMS Dubai American Academy (DAA) is without question the most successful for-profit US curriculum school in Dubai.  There is something rather ironic in its current location, next door to its nearest competitor, the not-for-profit (and significantly older) The American School of Dubai (ASD). 

In fact, GEMS Dubai American Academy is the first and most successful US curriculum school within the GEMS network, and the only other US curriculum school which can compare to DAA in quality and size is ASD.  However, DAA is the only US curriculum school to have achieved the highest KHDA inspection rating of Outstanding, a rating which it has retained for 9 years.

In a new initiative for the 2021-22 academic year, the Academy has recently announced  a collaboration for senior students, while still at school in Dubai, that will earn them university credits at Arizona State University (ASU) as a result of GEMS Education’s collaboration with the highly-rated American university.

With the focus on the IB Diploma Programme as the university entry qualification at DAA, it seems that this new relationship will provide a potentially useful addition in terms of qualifications for students seeking entry to US universities.

ASU is a comprehensive public research university based in Tempe, Arizona. It is rated a top world university by the Center for World University Rankings and ranked #9 in the world for global impact by Times Higher Education. 

A total of 27 DAA students are now enrolled in college-level courses taught directly by ASU’s faculty. Students can choose from over 20 of ASU’s first-year Universal Learner Courses, all which are taught by experts in their respective fields. Options selected for the initial cohort include College Algebra, English Composition, History, and Habitable Worlds.

This additional online learning experience for high school students is highly flexible, enabling them to design their own tailored pathway and preparing them in advance for university success. The university credits gained can result in significant savings in terms of both time and money if students choose to enrol at ASU for an undergraduate degree. The earned credit can also potentially be transferred to any other accepting university. GEMS Education plans to roll out the opportunity to study with ASU throughout its schools in the near future.

Following DAA's relocation to the campus of the short-lived, but highly anticipated GEMS Nations Academy, student numbers have grown to around 2,730 in a campus with a capacity of 2,750.  The school has grown by a further 400 students since its relocation - driven in large part, according to the school, by families who have relocated to Dubai in support of work on Expo 2020. 

Parent feedback to WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has been mixed. Whilst many comments are positive, the topic of fees is mentioned regularly - particularly in the context of the pandemic and the lack of reduction in fees as the school moved to online learning.

However, positive comments far outweigh the negative with strengths defined as:

"Teacher child relationship. Tend to the whole child "

"My daughter is feeling she really belongs to this school. The teachers are amazing and really take my child’s needs into consideration "

"The school is truly listening to my child’s needs. Teachers are amazing "

" The high quality of the Leadership. -The high expectations of students as well as teachers. -The ongoing screening of student performance. -The existence of goals and directions. -The extent to which the school is secure and organized. "

And WhichSchoolAdvisor.com was particularly impressed by comment from a teacher:

"Of the 4 schools I have taught at in Dubai and the 11 schools I have taught at worldwide, this is by far the best."

Find out more about the Buzz from parents and students.

DAA has always had, and retains, a much broader international base of student nationalities, whilst ASD remains largely North American in terms of its student and faculty nationality. There are, in total, an impressive 100+ nationalities represented within the DAA student body, with the biggest numbers coming from the US, Canada, India, S. Korea and Egypt. There is a 50:50 male to female ratio. 

The school is co-educational from KG1 to Grade 12 with much of the recent growth having taken place in the High School section which has grown from 600 students (similar to the Middle School) to 900 students. There are between 7 and 9 classes per grade with class sizes of 22 in the KG section and a maximum of 25 in Grades 1 to 12.

Superintendent, Tammy Murphy, now entering her fourth year as Principal of the school, was faced in her first months not only with the challenge of relocating the school from one site to the other, but to merging the faculty of both DAA and GEMS Nations Academy and hosting the DSIB inspection team within 5 months of the relocation. To her credit, the 2017-18 KHDA inspection visit, which took place in February 2018 and re-confirmed the Outstanding rating, suggest that these challenges were well met.  Now the school has had more time to settle into its new campus, the Outstanding rating has again been retained.  

With the growth of the school, and following Tammy's arrival, leadership of DAA has been devolved with a Deputy Superintendent and Principals leading the school at each level - KG, Elementary, Middle and High School sections.  Four school counsellors in the High School work specifically with students to support their career and college interests and applications.

The school employs 232 teachers (a significant increase of 40 since 2015-16) and 62 teaching assistants, with staff employed at recruitment fairs in the UK, US and Thailand. The majority of teachers come from the US. The student:teacher ratio is 13:1 on average across grades. All teachers are degree educated, and a majority hold Masters degrees or above.

Staff turnover at the end of 2017, at 36%, was significantly above previous levels - and above the norm in Dubai of between 20-22% - presumably as a result of the merger.  Turnover in 2018 has reduced to 19% - back to the averages of previous years such as 2015-16, when the turnover was 25%, and in the year prior, 20%.  The upsurge in 2017 was almost certainly a symptom of the merger of the two schools and new leadership rather than the transient nature of Dubai, where teachers are generally employed on two year contracts, and certainly appears to have stabilised.

What about the curriculum? 

DAA is fully accredited by the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and has been since 2004. In addition to the US High School Diploma, DAA offers the IB Diploma Program for students and parents wanting a broader, more internationally focused qualification.  

After the disappearance of GEMS Nations Academy, with its very strong and specific focus on technology, WhichSchoolAdvisor.com was curious to understand how much of the Nations' vision had been adopted by DAA and integrated into its curriculum. 

The school follows the US Common Core curriculum leading to a NEASC accredited High School Diploma, whilst offering the IB Diploma program in Grades 11 and 12.  The school will also add Advanced Placement and IB courses programs to its curriculum to respond to the requirements of students seeking US college placement on the one hand, or a more vocational pathway.  According to the school, 67% of all graduates in 2018 achieved the IBDP.  Click here to jump to the academic results section. 

The Superintendent's introduction speaks clearly to the curriculum direction:

"At the core of our future-fluent curriculum is creative design, cutting-edge robotics and digital fluencies encouraging students to apply technology-based solutions to real-world problems. Students are challenged to identify, inspire and imagine new and innovative approaches. As they envision and engineer these new approaches they work together cooperatively to evaluate and execute new solutions. They ask questions, analyze and apply information and data, and then listen, interpret and communicate information using multi-media tools and approaches. Students are encouraged to discover and dream about the world and its issues all the while developing digital competencies and literacy as they navigate the new technologies arising daily".

So are any of the grand aspirations of GEMS Nations Academy being fulfilled at DAA? The answer is probably yes, and no.  Certainly, the school is expanding the curriculum pathways for students, both in terms of AP and IB courses, and with a focus on AI through an AI curriculum for all students to Grade 10, a supply of over 1,200 iPads in the Elementary School, a Drone Activity agreement with Dubai Civil Aviation Authority to enable the students to build and fly drones, and a focus on coding and robotics.  Students from Middle school (Grade 6) upwards bring their own devices to school. 

GEMS Dubai American Academy Elementary has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School from 2019 to 2022, for its continuous innovation in teaching and learning and implementation of technology in student learning.

Apple Distinguished Schools are said to be "centres of innovation, leadership and educational excellence that use technology to inspire creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. They showcase innovative uses of technology in learning, teaching and the school environment, and have documented results of academic accomplishment..." 

With 1:1 iPads in its classrooms, the school aims to enable its students to be constantly innovating, creating and thinking critically, "whether by creating GIFs in Keynote, using iMovie to make tutorials to share with peers, or creating multimedia eBooks, students and teachers create and collaborate anytime and from anywhere..."

During our visit, Superintendent Tammy Murphy talked to us about developing the soft skills of students and the cross-curricular approach of DAA's curriculum which integrates technology, such as AI, robotics and drones, with media and art skills, and an enquiry-based approach preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist. This is what is described as Future Fluency or DAA 2.0. Certainly the new environment of DAA would appear to support a more future-focused approach far better than that of the old campus.  We do see a significant investment in curriculum and resources at GEMS Dubai American Academy and are very interested to see how the school moves forward. 

However, somehow, despite all of these activities taking place and the breadth of the curriculum in providing such opportunities, the sense of innovation that GEMS Nations promised does not feel quite there at DAA.  This is less in the context of technology than in other curriculum areas - and notably Arabic.  A particular focus of GEMS Nations was to be the teaching of Arabic which was to be a core feature of the school, with an ambition that this would be a particular strength. 

The school runs annual Week Without Walls activities (usually involving both local and overseas visits to enhance students' community involvement or internship options), and this has included a group travelling to Silicon Valley to visit major technology companies.  MAP testing takes place 3 times per year to assess students' performance in key curriculum areas and to ensure that they are on track or receive additional support where necessary.

DAA is known for its friendly, participatory approach to teaching. Children are said to be a happy bunch, and look forward to going to school. The school is also noted for a strong program for children who don’t have English as a first language. 

What about SEND? 

GEMS Education has worked on the SEND provision across all its schools for many years and has always had a more open policy.  In 2013/14 academic year, 124 students at DAA had been identified as having some form of Special Educational Needs, a figure growing to 220 in 2018-19. SEND provision is deemed to be Very Good by the KHDA inspectors. The school has a governor and a champion for inclusive education and the school has an inclusive and strategic education improvement plan in place. Most students with SEND make good progress over time, according to the inspectors.  Students also are provided with equivalency for the High School Diploma through the GEP programme.

What about academic achievement?

Dubai American Academy has in the past provided information on where its students head for university, and in the past, rather limited information in respect of examination results.

Although GEMS Education as a group stopped publishing exams results in 2015, in common with GEMS Jumeirah College, DAA seems to have decided to go ahead and publish themselves - something we at WhichSchoolAdvisor.com always encourage. 

With the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic affecting IB Diploma students who were not able to sit examinations in either 2020 or 2021, results have been issued through a process of Centre Assessed Grades and through the submission of assessments which have been reviewed by IB examiners. 

In 2021, DAA announced that a cohort of 173, which was the largest among the GEMS schools, achieved an impressive pass rate of 99.4%. The average score for the school was 34.2 with 23 students achieving 40 points or more, and two achieving the top score of 45 points.

In 2020, DAA's initial results (prior to a subsequent review by the IBO which positively impacted all schools), showed an average score of 33.6. The pass rate was 96.8% in a larger cohort of 158 students. The school also provided a further break down of the points awarded to students, with 80% of awards at 30+ points, 43% at 35+ points and 12% at 40+ points.

The 2019 IB Diploma results were published on 5th July - after the start of the Summer break and closure of the school.  Information on DAA results was limited, but WhichSchoolAdvisor.com was informed by GEMS at a Corporate level that DAA's 2019 cohort achieved an average points score of 34 (the same as 2018) - some 4+ points above the global average of 29.62, and well above the UAE average of 32.26.  98.5% of 130 candidates for the IB programme achieved a pass in 2019, although no details of highest scores or breakdown of overall scores is currently available. 

Across the six schools in the GEMS group offering the IBDP programme, the pass rate was 94% and we would expect that DAA's students would be among the high achievers given their overall average figure.  

In 2016-17, the 146 Grade 12 students made over 1,150 university applications and graduates received approximately 500 acceptances. Students have continued their education in several countries, with the largest percentage going to the United States, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.  Detailed information on destinations for 2016-17 have not been provided, but students in the class of 2015 received acceptances at top universities such as the Princeton University, Lund University, King's College London, New York University, University of Maastricht, Pennsylvania State, Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown, Boston College, Rice, McGill, University of California Berkeley, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Edinburgh, London School of Economics, and Queen Mary University.

Although only 50-70% of applications are successful, the school claims to achieve "100% entry to higher educational institutions, including the best universities and colleges around the world" in the WSA Q and A. Go here. In further correspondence with DAA, the school notes that 2% of students opt to take a gap year.

What about the facilities?

The school building is organised across four floors, with KG to Grade 2 classes located on the ground floor, followed by grades 3-5 on the first floor, grades 6-8 on the floor above, and grades 9-12 on the top floor of the building.  High School students have their own separate lounge and study area - designed by the students - at the top of the school.  Expansive technology, science and performing arts and other specialist and sports facilities are also provided.

The facilities of the 70,000m2 campus are truly state-of-the-art and include: a 50m Olympic pool, 400m running track, a large gymnasium, playing fields and shaded playgrounds. There are also dedicated science labs across all grades, a Technology suite, with a workshop, Visual Arts with dedicated areas for all grades, including Studios for 3D and 2D art, a Ceramics/ kiln room and Photography dark room.

Facilities, of course, including MAC rooms, Drone labs and similar technology-focused classrooms, are of the highest standard.  The technology focus is not just "scientific" in nature, with the Music faculty, for instance, including both a Recording and a TV studio, and green screen room.

Students interested in Performing Arts benefit from Music rooms, Band rooms, Individual music practice rooms, a Music technology suite, Recording studio.  Performing Arts students also have access to a Theatre and Dance, an Ultra-modern auditorium seating 1,200, a Black box Digital theatre, Drama classrooms and a Dance studio.  Multimedia facilities include a TV studio/‘green screen’ room, a Radio suite, Mac lab/editing suite and a Digital/blended learning zone.  There are four separate libraries across the school.

Indoor Sports facilities include a Main sports hall which accommodates 3 full basketball courts with retractable seating, Elementary sports hall large enough for a full-sized basketball court, an indoor running track/fitness trail, a fully-equipped fitness suite and Sports science classrooms.  Outdoor roof play areas provide space for three soccer pitches, a Baseball diamond and rooftop tennis courts.

Much investment has been made in the construction of the school, in terms of technological innovations for cooling and recycling energy.  Classrooms are light, bright and as would be expected for a new-build and technologically enabled throughout.  KG children all have direct access to the outside areas of the school including gardens where they plant and grow their own vegetables.  Whilst the youngest children from KG to Grade 2 eat lunch in their classrooms, there are two large cafeterias for Elementary, Middle and High School students with access to outdoor space.  The scale of the school is significant. 

What the inspectors say (2018/2019) 

GEMS Dubai American Academy is presently the only school in Dubai following an American standards-based curriculum to have been awarded an “Outstanding” rating by the Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau. It is the ninth year in a row that DAA had made the grade after three years of a Good rating, although there was no inspection in the 2016-17 academic year due to the school's involvement in the KHDA's mentoring project (the Abundance Project).

In common with all schools rated Very Good or Outstanding, the KHDA no longer requires an annual DSIB inspection of the school, following a ruling announced in September 2019.   This means that a one day review visit takes place, but no new report is issued and statistics are not updated.  Only if there is an overall change in rating, would this be announced. 

According to the KHDA, Dubai American Academy provides an Outstanding quality of education. Key strengths are:

• Outstanding attainment in Science throughout the school, and impressive results in the IB Diploma program;
• An enquiry approach to learning across all phases, developing outstanding learning skills;
• The broad and creative curriculum, enhanced by an extensive after school program;
• The school buildings and wide range of learning spaces which have extensive resources, including an abundance of technological devices;
• Strong pastoral care and students' classroom interactions, contributing to outstanding personal development.

Overall ratings across the school and key performance standards remain unchanged for 2018-19 compared with the inspection of the prior year.  Attainment and progress are almost uniformly Outstanding across English, Maths and Science with the exception of attainment and progress in English and Mathematics, which has remained Very Good in the Elementary and Middle School. 

Progress and attainment in Arabic and Islamic Studies remain a mix of Good and Acceptable ratings.  This is of course not just an issue for DAA, but one that is widespread across international curriculum schools throughout the UAE.

In terms of the other key indicators reviewed by the KHDA inspection team, Students' Personal and Social Development and their Innovation skills, Teaching and Assessment, the Curriculum, the Protection, Care, Guidance and Support of students and the Leadership and Management of the school are rated Outstanding almost across the board. The sole exceptions are Teaching for Effective Learning in the Elementary school.  Governance of the school was also  downgraded to Very Good from Outstanding in 2017-18 and has retained this rating for 2018-19, due to a need for the role of the Local Advisory Board to be promoted further. 

Overall recommendations for improvement from the inspection team include the need to:

• Increase students' attainment and progress in Islamic Education and Arabic by providing teachers with sufficient support so that their teaching is highly effective  and reflects the best practices observed in other subjects; [and] raising teachers' expectations of students in these subjects;
• Provide consistency of challenge so that all students reach the highest possible level of achievement across all subjects.

To read the full KHDA inspection report - which we strongly recommend you do in order to understand the reason behind the rating - go here.

The Buzz

In the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com Parent Survey, opinions are very definitely mixed. With an overall rating from just over 70 parents of 3.6/5, this is a 72% positivity rating. Whilst 62% of respondents say that they would recommend the school to other parents, 19% (double the UAE average), said they would not.  A surprisingly high 53% have said that they have considered moving their child to another school - a high figure compared with the UAE average of 27%.  and only 15% of respondents agreed that fees represent value for money, whilst 30% of parents totally disagreed.  

However, parents also feel that their children enjoy going to school.  And although over 87% of parents are partially (34%) or fully satisfied (53%) with the level of academic performance of their children, 30% still believe that their children require additional tuition outside of school.  

If you are a parent, teacher or senior student at DAA, please share your feedback with us and other potential members of your community through our Survey here.

Some 445 parents participated in the KHDA pre-inspection survey and almost 90% said that they were satisfied with the standard of education the school provides. They agreed that leaders and teachers listen to them and act on their views.  A large majority of parents felt that DAA offers value for money, that they are well informed and that their children are safe and well provided for.

Over 600 students responded to the survey and almost all were positive about their school experience.  They are engaged with their learning, with their peers and teachers and a high proportion said that they were happy with their school. 

Our View

There is no doubt that for parents seeking a US curriculum education for their children, with the added benefit of the IB Diploma option in addition to a High School Diploma, GEMS Dubai American Academy will remain a very popular choice.

Whilst perhaps not having the 'cachet' of the neighbouring American School of Dubai, and without the not-for-profit status, DAA comes as close to a high quality US curriculum school - and with all the attendant co-curricular and extra-curricular options and the strong community involvement - that parents are likely to want to find for their children.

The fact that it has been rated Outstanding for so long is an additional factor, particularly for families who want their children to receive the full US curriculum experience, but alongside the Islamic Education and Arabic provision which has long been an area where ASD has fallen down (as indicated by the Good rating which has held for a number of years).

There is currently no doubt, that there is not yet another US/IB curriculum school in Dubai which compares to the provision of GEMS Dubai American Academy.  But this provision comes at a significant price. The only school that we currently see being able to compare to DAA - and this is still some way off - is Dunecrest American School, operated by ESOL Education, which will also offer the US/IB combination.

What about the fees? 

Fees at the school are in the premium range, with fees of AED 61,190 in KG1 and KG2, and from Grade 1 to Grade 12 a flat figure of AED 86,260.  There is a registration fee of AED 500 for new admissions, together with a deposit of AED 10,000 on offer of a place; the latter is offset against the tuition fees in the first year. A re-enrollment fee of 10% of the tuition fees is payable annually to confirm a place for the following academic year and is adjusted against the first term's fees.

This school is in a Best School by parents ranking

GEMS Dubai American Academy is a Best of school, a ranking determined by parent surveys on the site. It can be found in the following Best of rankings:

• #114 in Best Schools in the UAE
• #6 in Best American Schools in Dubai
• #26 in Best IB Schools in Dubai
• #77 in Best Schools in Dubai
• #25 in Best IB DP Schools in Dubai
• #6 in Best Ultra-premium Schools in the UAE
• #5 in Best Ultra-premium Schools in Dubai

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