Dubai private schools secure top 10 global spots in mathematics, science and reading
Emirati students post major gains across all assessed areas
DUBAI – Dubai’s private schools have secured positions among the world’s top 10 education systems across every domain assessed in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025, marking a major improvement in the emirate’s international education rankings.
The results place Dubai sixth globally in reading and eighth in both mathematics and science, while its schools also ranked ninth in the newly introduced computational problem-solving domain. The performance delivers a key target under the Dubai Education 33 Strategy and highlights continued gains across the emirate’s private education sector.
The latest results were welcomed by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, who said the achievement reflected the strength and continued progress of Dubai’s education system.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan said education remains central to the UAE’s efforts to develop its people, prepare future generations and strengthen the country’s global competitiveness. He highlighted investment in people and knowledge as a key priority, with a focus on giving students the skills, capabilities and confidence needed to contribute to the nation’s development and shape its future.
He also congratulated Dubai’s schools, teachers, students and parents, describing the results as a reflection of their collective efforts to build an education system capable of delivering globally competitive outcomes.
The Crown Prince said the latest achievement should provide a foundation for further progress, with the aim of ensuring every student in Dubai receives high-quality education and wider opportunities for the future. He also directed the Knowledge and Human Development Authority to build on the results, accelerate education sector development and strengthen Dubai’s standing among the world’s leading education systems.
Global rankings
Dubai’s private schools recorded an average score of 501 points in reading, placing them sixth globally in the PISA 2025 assessment. Mathematics produced an average score of 511 points, giving the schools eighth place worldwide, while their science score of 522 points also secured eighth position.
The schools additionally achieved ninth place globally in computational problem solving, with an average score of 534 points. The domain was introduced for the first time in PISA 2025 and measures students’ ability to use computational tools and practices to explore ideas, develop knowledge and solve complex problems.
The computational problem-solving score was 34 points above the OECD average, highlighting the performance of Dubai students in a newly assessed area that focuses on applying digital and computational approaches to complex tasks.
PISA is conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students, examining how effectively they can apply what they have learned in mathematics, science and reading to real-world situations.
The 2025 assessment included more than 760,000 students from over 90 countries and economies, providing an international benchmark for comparing education systems.
Stronger performance
The 2025 results show a marked improvement for Dubai’s private schools compared with the previous assessment cycle in 2022. Three years ago, the schools ranked ninth globally in mathematics, 13th in reading and 14th in science.
The latest rankings mean Dubai has moved up three places in mathematics, seven places in reading and six places in science since the 2022 cycle.
The longer-term trend is also notable. Dubai’s private schools have participated in PISA since 2009 and have recorded improvement across six consecutive assessment cycles. During that period, average performance increased by 37 points in mathematics, 22 points in reading and 36 points in science.
The science results also reflect students’ ability to apply scientific knowledge beyond classroom concepts. The assessment measures skills including evaluating evidence, using scientific reasoning and applying knowledge when addressing challenges in real-world contexts.
With computational problem solving added to the assessment in 2025, the latest results also provide a measure of how students approach complex tasks using computational tools and practices.
Emirati gains
Emirati students studying in Dubai’s private schools also recorded substantial improvements across all three core PISA subjects compared with 2022.
Their average performance increased by 31 points in mathematics, while science performance rose by 30 points. Reading scores improved by 18 points.
The results indicate broad-based progress among Emirati students, with gains recorded across mathematics, science and reading rather than being concentrated in a single subject.
Performance also varied across the different curricula offered by Dubai’s private schools. Students enrolled in International Baccalaureate schools recorded the highest average scores among the curricula represented in the emirate’s private education sector.
IB students achieved an average score of 557 points in science, 542 points in mathematics and 538 points in reading.
The participation figures underline the scale of the assessment in Dubai. A total of 9,600 students from 168 private schools across the emirate took part in PISA 2025, contributing to an international dataset involving more than 760,000 students from over 90 countries and economies.
The results come as Dubai continues to pursue the objectives of the Dubai Education 33 Strategy, which seeks to strengthen educational outcomes and position the emirate among the world’s leading education systems. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan said the focus would remain on improving the quality of educational outcomes and developing the capabilities of future generations, with the latest PISA performance providing a new benchmark for the sector as the new academic year begins.