Dubai, Umm Al Quwain schools make final 10 of world’s best school prizes

Dubai: Three schools from the UAE have been shortlisted among the top 10 finalists for the World’s Best School Prizes 2025, marking a historic first for the country.
The awards, founded by UK-based T4 Education in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, celebrate schools that are transforming education through innovation, community collaboration, and sustainability.

The three schools – Dubai British School Jumeirah Park (DBSJP), Arbor School in Dubai’s Al Furjan, and Applied Technology Schools-Umm Al Quwain Campus (ATS-UAQ) – are competing in the categories of community collaboration, environmental action, and innovation respectively.

DBSJP, part of the Taaleem group, has been recognised for its community-first model that integrates parents and the wider community into the school’s operations. With a strong emphasis on inclusion, creativity, and student wellbeing, DBSJP promotes personalised learning pathways, boasts a 100 per cent pass rate, and was recently named Best School for Performing Arts. The school’s innovative partnerships from Barcelona’s Football Escola to Michelin-starred chefs help create a vibrant learning environment that goes far beyond the classroom.

Arbor School is setting benchmarks in environmental education. Its eco literacy curriculum allows students to take on real-world sustainability challenges through inquiry-based learning. The school’s six biodomes function as living labs, and its students have even presented their projects at COP28. Arbor’s campus and curriculum are designed to inspire students to become responsible global citizens with a passion for environmental change.

In Umm Al Quwain, ATS-UAQ is transforming vocational education through a project-based approach rooted in AI, sustainability, and engineering. The school prepares students for workforce success by combining academic subjects with hands-on industry experience. Its students have earned accolades at events like Emirates Skills and WorldSkills Asia, and their projects have had measurable real-world impact, such as reducing emergency supply wait times in medical centres.

Winners across five categories – community collaboration, environmental action, innovation, overcoming adversity, and supporting healthy lives – will be selected by an expert panel. All 50 finalist schools across the five prizes will take part in a public vote to determine the winner of the Community Choice Award. All six winners will be announced in October.

All winners and finalists will be invited to the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi on November 15-16, where they will share best practices and insights with global education leaders.