Find the answer to our most commonly asked questions 

General NIS Questions

We opened on a purpose-built campus in 2005.

We have 1400+ students from over 84 nationalities, from KG1 to Grade 12.

We offer the American curriculum using AERO (American Education Reaches Out) standards, which is supported by the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools.

We were acquired by International Schools Partnership (ISP) in February 2017.

What is your age range and fees?

Sibling discounts apply for families with at least two children – 5% for the older child, and 10% for the younger.

Visit our Fees and Age Placement pages for more information.

What Electives do you offer?

High school students are provided with opportunities to experience a variety of courses that appeal to their educational interests. Teachers at the high school level facilitate students’ learning by exposing them to a variety of educational experiences in and out of the classroom, both within the UAE and internationally.

Visit our High School page for more information.

What Advanced Placement (AP) Courses do you offer?

NIS AP courses include: English Language and Composition, Statistics, Calculus AB, Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1 AB, Environmental Science, Macroeconomics, and Psychology.

Visit out Advanced Placement page for more information.

What is the staff/pupil ratio?

1:25

Who are the teachers at NIS?

Mainly native English-speaking staff and others teaching the US curriculum are bilingual.

Students are exposed to American customs as well as the English language.

We have specialist Arabic teaching staff for Arabic, Islamic and Social Studies.

Which other languages are taught?

We offer French as our third language.

How do you give parents feedback?

• Termly parent-teacher meetings and written reports.
• Daily correspondence through email and parent applications such as SeeSaw and Engage.
• Parents are welcome to meet us whenever they wish to discuss progress in more detail.
• PSTC Meetings – Student Led Parent Teacher Conferences

Visit our Student Progress page for more information.

Is Arabic taught as a first language and second language?

We follow the Ministry of Education curriculum for Arabic, Islamic Studies and Social Studies for native Arabic speakers. Non-Arabs are taught separately, and they learn Arabic and Social Studies from KG1, and Islamic Studies from KG2.

How is tuition payable?

Fees can be paid by term or year.

Our preferred payment methods are bank transfer or online payment. We also accept debit/credit cards and cheques on site. 

Visit our Fees page for more information.

Is there a school uniform? Where can parents buy it?

The school uniform is purchased from the uniform provider. Our school uniform is mandatory for all students from KG1 to Grade 12, including school bags, PE kits and school hats. Black school shoes are also mandatory. 

Where is your school?

We are in Dubai Investment Park 1. Access is very easy from the 311 and 611 roads.  

Less than 15 minutes away: Jumeirah Village Circle, Remraam, Mudon, Jebel Ali

Less than 20 minutes away: Al Barsha, Discovery Gardens, JLT, Sports City, Marina.

The school day

For more detailed information, visit our School Day page.

Can you accommodate SEN students?

In line with KHDA policy, NIS is an inclusive school that celebrates and embraces diversity. We meet all students before they join the school to ensure that we have the right support team in place to help the student progress as much as they can. We appreciate parents giving us as much information as possible in these cases.

Visit our Learning Support page for more information.

Do you offer EAL support for those students where English is not their first language?

Yes, the school has EAL Learning Support Specialist.

Visit our Learning Support page for more information.

Frequent facility-related questions.

Do you have a pool?

Yes, we have a 25m heated indoor swimming pool and separate KG training pool. The main pool has just been refurbished and we have added new change facilities and showers.

Do you have a football pitch?

We have an outdoor floodlit football pitch, and we use our newly refurbished indoor multi-purpose hall for when it is too hot outside.

Do you have a theatre?

Yes, it is an outdoor amphitheater with shade sails.

Do you have Art and Music rooms?        

Yes, we have an art room and a music room. 

Do you have cafeteria facilities?

Yes, we contracted with a catering company that will provide a range of healthy food choices available.

Visit our Campus & Facilities page for more information.

Advisory Board Council

Our advisory board council meet monthly to discuss school progress and share ideas for improvement.

Visit our School Advisory Board page for more information.

How do we apply? What documents do you need?

Visit our Admissions Process page for more information.

Do you assess new students?

We are an inclusive school which celebrates and embraces diversity. We conduct admissions meetings with a very brief meeting of students from KG – Grade 1 and children in Grades 2 – 12 do MAP test screener in Math, Science & English, and submit a writing sample. It is imperative that the parent informs us of any special needs or learning support the student may have so that we can support the child. Further testing may be required but as long as we can support the child, we will accept them.

How do we come and see the school?

Visit our School Tours page to book your visit.

What accreditations do you have?

KHDA – NIS improved significantly in many areas across teaching and learning, student support and curriculum development in our last inspection.

NEASC – we are recently accredited, and this only happens when their inspectors see significant improvements across specific areas, and propose a comprehensive ongoing school development plan.

National Honor Society Member – invitation-only and a specific honor recognizes outstanding high school students and celebrate their achievements

International Schools Partnership – NIS now benefits from the educational development opportunities from 76 sister schools in 21 countries in this global group. ISP are spending millions on learning resources, facilities and training over the next few years to transform NIS into a world-class school.

What other ISP schools are there in the UAE?

Reach British School, Baniyas, Abu Dhabi – an affordable British school in Baniyas. Fees from 22,600.

Aspen Heights British School, Al Bahya, Abu Dhabi – ISP successfully opened Aspen in September 2017 on time in Al Bahya, Abu Dhabi, also led by a Principal from an outstanding school. Fees from 35,000 AED.

The Aquila School, Dubailand – opened in September 2018, and is the flagship school for the group. British curriculum, led by a principal from an Outstanding school. Fees from 40,000 AED.

More on ISP’s other schools internationally here.

Do you have any job vacancies?

We are always looking for highly qualified teachers from KG to High School. Preference is given to native English speakers for US curriculum subjects.

Visit our Career Opportunities page for more information.