Dar Al Marefa Private School

Dar Al Marefa is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Al Khawaneej district at Khawaneej 1 – 47th Street (PO Box 112602). The Al Khawaneej area is a residential community with convenient road access to central Dubai. The campus is a purpose-built, two-storey facility designed to support IB programmes and a broad range of facilities.

The school offers the International Baccalaureate curriculum from Pre-KG through Grade 12, including the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). Instruction is delivered in English and Arabic.

The school is co-educational and operates as a day school. It is the only bilingual English-Arabic IB curriculum school in Dubai.

Student nationality mix includes representation from many countries; sources indicate students from over 35 nationalities attend the school. Emirati students are the largest local group, with a substantial international presence.

The school provides support for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). It maintains an inclusive policy and provides services for students of determination.

Affiliation with the United Arab Emirates. The curriculum aligns with UAE MOE requirements and KHDA oversight.

No formal religious affiliation; however, the curriculum includes Islamic Studies for Muslim students in accordance with UAE MOE requirements, and Arabic language instruction is required.

School hours are 7:30am to 3:30pm from Monday to Thursday, with a Friday schedule of 7:30am to 12:00pm.

Dar Al Marefa offers its own bus transport for eligible students. Arrangements are coordinated with the RTA; pick-ups and drop-offs occur at designated meeting points, and routes may change only with RTA and school approval. Students must follow bus rules and wear seatbelts where fitted.

Dar Al Marefa is an IB World School in Dubai offering the full IB continuum: Primary Years Programme (PYP) for ages 3–10, Middle Years Programme (MYP) for ages 11–16, and Diploma Programme (DP) for ages 16–19, with instruction delivered in English and Arabic. Arabic language is taught per UAE Ministry of Education requirements, with Arabic A for native speakers from listed Arab countries and Arabic B for non-natives when approved by KHDA; Islamic studies are also offered to Muslim students. PYP focuses on inquiry-based learning across transdisciplinary themes and fosters global citizenship, including Early Years within the programme. MYP connects studies to real-world contexts as the middle phase of the IB continuum. DP comprises six subject groups plus the core (TOK, EE, CAS); students in grades 11–12 may follow the Diploma Programme or a Diploma Programme Course stream, with a maximum of 45 points and KHDA equivalency considerations. Assessment and planning employ IB tools such as ManageBac to plan, assess, and report progress.

Dar Al Marefa offers the full IB Curriculum continuum (PYP, MYP, and DP) in English and Arabic. The admissions process requires completing the online Admissions Form, scheduling an assessment, paying 10% of the annual fee upon acceptance, and securing the place. Entry requirements include that Pre-KG entrants must be at least three years old by August 31 and toilet-trained; all students learn Arabic under UAE MOE guidelines with Arabic A for native speakers from certain Arab countries through Grade 12, and Muslim students take Islamic Education through Grade 12 (Arabic A or English B, per nationality). Online applications prompt a school representative to contact within 1-2 working days to arrange a visit and entrance assessment; the language of instruction is English and Arabic.