New Academy SchoolAmerican Curriculum, Subjects & Qualifications

New Academy School delivers a K–12 American curriculum grounded in California Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English and Mathematics, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Science, and UAE Ministry of Education frameworks for Islamic Studies, Arabic, and Social Studies. Graduates receive a US High School Diploma recognised by universities and colleges in the United States and internationally — a credential underpinned by dual accreditation from NEASC and Cognia. NAS is also an authorised SAT, AP, and TOEFL testing centre on campus, giving high school students direct access to the standardised assessments required for US university entry. Among 42 American curriculum schools in Dubai, NAS sits in the majority that hold a Good KHDA rating — 22 of the 42 American curriculum schools are rated Good, with only one rated Very Good and one Outstanding, placing NAS squarely within the upper-middle tier of its curriculum peer group.

The school's academic programme spans KG through Grade 12 and is structured around several distinctive pedagogical pillars. Project Based Learning (PBL) is embedded across Elementary and Middle school, with students presenting interdisciplinary work at grade-level exhibitions. A weekly Passion Hour co-curricular programme runs across all year groups, offering clubs spanning academic, arts, technology, and community categories. Career and Technology Education (CTE) is available for Middle and High school students, providing vocational pathways alongside the standard diploma track. The school also implements Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Response to Intervention (RTI), and Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for its 105 students of determination, alongside a Gifted and Talented programme for high-ability learners. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is formally timetabled, and a Balanced Literacy Program targets reading development across all phases.

On measured academic performance, the 2023–2024 KHDA inspection found that students' attainment and progress range from acceptable to very good across subjects and phases, with particular strengths in KG and High school. In international benchmarking, NAS recorded a PIRLS 2021 whole-school score of 476, which was 28 points above the set target. MAP benchmark results showed very good improvement in English and science, and good improvement in mathematics school-wide. These are meaningful data points, though inspectors noted that Emirati students — who represent approximately 33% of the student body — achieved a PIRLS score of 435, which was 13 points below target, and that MAP performance for the Emirati cohort was rated only acceptable overall. The National Agenda Parameter was rated Acceptable, reflecting this gap.

Inspectors identified several areas requiring attention. The use of assessment data to personalise teaching remains an emerging practice, and attainment in Elementary and Middle school sits at acceptable rather than good in English, Mathematics, and Islamic Education — subjects where the school's own ambitions demand higher performance. Middle leadership was flagged as needing strengthening to ensure more consistent monitoring of teaching quality. The school's reading literacy action plan was also cited as requiring redesign and more rigorous implementation. These findings are consistent with a school that has made genuine and sustained progress — NAS moved from a Weak KHDA rating in 2012–2013 to Good in both 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 — but has not yet closed the gap to Very Good. Compared to peer American curriculum schools in Dubai, where only 1 of 42 schools holds a Very Good rating, the ceiling is demonstrably hard to reach, but the attainment plateau in core middle-school subjects remains the clearest academic challenge NAS must address.