Arzana Private School, Abu Dhabi

Arzana Private School follows the American curriculum, aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), serving students from Pre-KG (Nursery) through Grade 8. The program spans Early Years, Elementary (Grades 1–5), and Lower Secondary (Grades 6–8), integrating core American academic subjects with mandatory UAE national requirements including Arabic, Islamic Studies, UAE Social Studies, and Moral Education. Arzana is one of 42 American curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, making it part of the second-largest curriculum group in the city after British schools.

The school's academic program blends international standards with a distinctly local identity. STEM, robotics, and coding are embedded from Pre-KG level, with ICT taught as a dedicated subject and robotics integrated across the curriculum. The bilingual English-Arabic environment, serving students from over 30 nationalities, is a genuine structural feature rather than a marketing claim — Arabic is a language of instruction alongside English throughout all phases. The school's founders have consciously rooted the program in UAE cultural values, and inspectors acknowledged that students demonstrate a sound appreciation of Islamic values and respect for UAE heritage and culture across all phases.

However, the 2023/24 Irtiqaa inspection rated Arzana's overall performance as Weak — the lowest available rating — and parents considering the school must weigh this finding carefully. MAP assessments conducted in October 2023 for Grades 3–7 showed weak attainment in all subjects, a result that starkly contradicted the school's own internal data, which had consistently recorded outstanding or above-standard attainment across phases. Inspectors flagged this discrepancy explicitly, noting that internal assessment processes lack validity and do not accurately reflect what students can actually do. English attainment and progress were rated Weak across all phases including KG, with inspectors observing that most students read below age-appropriate levels and that speaking, writing, and independent reading skills are significantly underdeveloped. Mathematics was the sole relative strength, rated Acceptable in attainment and progress across all phases, with most students demonstrating knowledge in line with curriculum standards — though word-problem solving and mental mathematics remain weak.

The inspection identified several structural gaps that compound these academic concerns. Arabic as a second language lessons were not timetabled before the inspection visit — a regulatory requirement the school had not met. The school has not participated in any international assessments including TIMSS, PISA, or PIRLS, meaning there is no external benchmark against which to measure student performance beyond the MAP results. Provision for students of determination and gifted and talented learners was rated Weak, with no robust identification system in place and no differentiated curriculum pathways for either group. Among American curriculum schools in Abu Dhabi, where 22 out of 42 schools are rated Good and one holds an Outstanding rating, Arzana's Weak rating places it in the lower tier of its curriculum peer group.

Key areas formally recommended for improvement by inspectors include: raising teaching quality to consistently Good or better across all subjects and phases; overhauling assessment practices to ensure internal data is accurate and externally benchmarked; developing a credible identification and support system for students with additional learning needs; and ensuring the school participates in external and international assessments. The school's leadership, self-evaluation processes, curriculum design, and care and support structures were all independently rated Weak in the 2023/24 inspection. Governance and parent engagement were rated Acceptable, and the active Parent Teacher Association — comprising 12–18 parent members alongside teacher and administration representatives — represents a genuine community asset that inspectors recognised as a positive contribution to school improvement. Founded in 2021, Arzana is a young school, and some of these gaps reflect early-stage development; but the scale and breadth of the inspection findings mean prospective families should seek updated evidence of progress before enrolling.