Dubai’s private schools ranked among the world’s top 10 across every domain assessed in PISA 2025, achieving a key target under the emirate’s Education 33 Strategy. The results show improved performance in reading, mathematics and science since 2022, while Dubai also placed ninth in the newly introduced computational problem-solving assessment.
Original article: Dubai’s private schools enter global top 10 across all PISA 2025 domains by Economy Middle East.
Key Insights:
Dubai Ranks Sixth in Reading and Eighth in Math and Science
Dubai private-school students achieved an average score of 501 points in reading, ranking sixth globally, while scores of 511 in mathematics and 522 in science placed the emirate eighth in both subjects.
The results mark a significant improvement from PISA 2022, when Dubai ranked ninth in mathematics, 13th in reading and 14th in science. Since private schools in the emirate began participating in PISA in 2009, average scores have increased by 37 points in mathematics, 22 points in reading and 36 points in science.
Dubai also ranked ninth globally in computational problem solving, a new PISA 2025 domain assessing students’ ability to use computational tools and approaches to solve complex problems. Private-school students scored an average of 534 points, compared with the OECD average of 500.
Dubai Outperforms OECD Averages
Dubai scored above OECD averages across all four assessed areas. OECD averages stood at 461 points in reading, 463 in mathematics and 482 in science, compared with Dubai’s respective scores of 501, 511 and 522.
The results come as reading and mathematics performance declined across many OECD countries. Average reading scores across OECD countries fell from 489 points in 2015 to 461 in 2025, while mathematics declined from 485 to 463 over the same period.
Approximately 9,600 students from 168 Dubai private schools participated in PISA 2025. Globally, more than 760,000 15-year-old students across 91 countries and economies took part.
Education 33 Reaches a Key Target
Ranking among the global top 10 in PISA was one of the headline targets of Dubai’s Education 33 Strategy, which aims to strengthen the emirate’s international position across education and expand the capacity of its private-school system.
Dubai is continuing to add new education capacity alongside improving academic performance. Twenty-six new private education institutions are scheduled to open for the 2026–27 academic year, including seven private schools that will add 16,846 places.
The emirate’s private-school system also offers 17 curricula, providing a wide range of options for local and international families. Among these, International Baccalaureate students recorded the highest average PISA scores, including 557 points in science, 542 in mathematics and 538 in reading.
What the Results Mean for Dubai
PISA 2025 provides an international benchmark showing that Dubai’s private-school system has continued to improve academically while expanding to accommodate a growing student population.
For families considering a move to Dubai, access to high-quality schools and internationally recognized curricula remains an important practical consideration. Continued investment in both education quality and capacity could therefore play a broader role in supporting Dubai’s ability to attract and retain international families and professionals.
