Dubai’s private K-12 education market returns to growth

Dubai’s private K-12 education market returns to growth

Following a dip in enrolments during the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, Dubai’s private K-12 market is on a rebound, and is set to grow by up to 3% in 2022, according to a new report by L.E.K. Consulting.

Prior to the pandemic, in the 2019-20 school year, Dubai’s private K-12 market (K–12 stands for kindergarten to 12th grade, the equivalent of primary and secondary education) had a total enrolment of 295,148 children, studying across just over 200 schools. During the pandemic, that number dropped to 279,191 for the 2020-21 term due to less inbound activity as a result of the economic downturn and fear of infection.

New data from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai's private education regulator, now shows that the number of enrolments in the emirate has risen to 289,019 pupils for the 2021-21 term, meaning that the market for private K-12 education is closing in on its pre-pandemic level.