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American Community School of Abu Dhabi

United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi

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· Reviewed by · B2C Marketing Manager

Independently researched by doris.
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The school at a glance
Instructs in English
Fees AED 56,526 - 99,060
Ages 4 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 1500
Bus Service No
Availability Not shared by this school
Academic offering
Curriculum IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP), American Curriculum
Typical class size 9

Al Saadiyat Island, Saadiyat Promenade, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

www.acs.sch.ae
Vibes and Culture
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The Essentials

American Community School of Abu Dhabi has 1,500 pupils, typical class sizes of 9, instruction in English.

Location
The American Community School of Abu Dhabi (ACS) is located on Saadiyat Island in the Saadiyat Marina District, Abu Dhabi, near New York University Abu Dhabi. The Saadiyat campus opened in January 2024 after relocating from Al Bateen, and the site is close to the cultural district and NYU Abu Dhabi. The campus covers six hectares and offers modern facilities designed for ACS's programs.

Stages
ACS serves KG1 through Grade 12, organized into Elementary School (KG1–Grade 5), Middle School (Grades 6–8) and High School (Grades 9–12).

Type
ACS is a co-educational, nonprofit school operating an American standards-based curriculum.

Pupil Nationality Mix
Students represent more than 80 nationalities; ACS describes a multi-national student body, but publishes no detailed local-to-international ratio.

Additional learning support
ACS provides learning support to a managed number of students through a balanced service delivery model, including consultative support, accommodations, small-group instruction, some in-class support and Learning Labs at the Middle and High School levels.

Country affiliation
Affiliation: United States (ACS uses an American standards-based curriculum; it is not affiliated with a government body).

Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation: Not specified.

School day structure
The school day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for all grades; Fridays dismiss at noon.

Bus service
ACS offers a bus service. Imperial Transport is the official provider, with GPS tracking, electronic attendance, seat belts, and a dedicated ACS representative; current families can register via the Veracross Parent Portal.
Diving Deeper
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Fees

Annual tuition at American Community School of Abu Dhabi ranges from AED 56,526 to AED 99,060 for 2026/27.

One‑off and application fees

- Application fee: AED 630 (includes 5% VAT). This fee is non‑refundable.
- Reservation fee: AED 3,000. Payable in March each year to reserve a seat for the following school year; new students pay the same fee within seven days of notice of acceptance. The reservation fee is applied toward annual tuition, must be paid before a student may attend class, and is 50% refundable if written notice is received by the Admissions Office by May 1 (non‑refundable after May 1).
- Capital fee (new students only): AED 27,000, one‑time, non‑refundable and non‑transferable; paid in full during the student's first academic year and not prorated.

Annual tuition fees by grade (annual amount and per‑installment breakdown)

Tuition can be paid as a single annual payment or in three installments. The installment schedule is 35% (due June 1), 30% (due September 1) and 35% (due December 1). Amounts below show the annual tuition followed by the three installment amounts (rounded to whole dirhams) corresponding to those percentages.

- KG1: Annual tuition AED 56,526 — Installments: AED 19,784 (35% due June 1), AED 16,958 (30% due September 1), AED 19,784 (35% due December 1).
- KG2 – Grade 5: Annual tuition AED 81,912 — Installments: AED 28,669 (35% due June 1), AED 24,574 (30% due September 1), AED 28,669 (35% due December 1).
- Grade 6 – Grade 8: Annual tuition AED 85,627 — Installments: AED 29,969 (35% due June 1), AED 25,688 (30% due September 1), AED 29,970 (35% due December 1).
- Grade 9 – Grade 12: Annual tuition AED 99,060 — Installments: AED 34,671 (35% due June 1), AED 29,718 (30% due September 1), AED 34,671 (35% due December 1).

Billing schedule and payment terms

- Standard due date for annual or first installment payments: June 1. Payment for new students joining after the school year starts is due within 14 days of invoicing and before the student's first day. Late payments will be considered overdue and may result in exclusion from classes until payment is made. Parents remain personally responsible for timely payment regardless of employer arrangements. Invoices are issued to returning students after re‑enrollment; new students are invoiced upon acceptance.
- Installment schedule (if paying by installments): 1st installment 35% due June 1; 2nd installment 30% due September 1; 3rd installment 35% due December 1. The same 35/30/35 percentages are used to determine amounts due when a student enrolls partway through the year.

Boarding fees

- Boarding is not applicable. ACS operates as a day school and does not charge boarding fees.

Other required or possible additional costs

- Student Support Services fee (for students receiving ongoing services): AED 5,505 (annual).
- School lunch (estimated): AED 10–25 per day.
- IB and AP examination fees: AED 440–490 per subject.
- MESAC (competitive teams) per trip: AED 600–3,000.
- Viper Venture (Middle & High School experiential learning): AED 0–15,000 depending on activity.
- Uniforms (Grades 5–12 and others as required): estimated AED 600–1,000.
- Apple laptop (Grades 5–12): estimated AED 4,200.

Refunds and withdrawal billing

- Reservation fee refund: 50% refundable if written notice is received by Admissions by May 1; otherwise the reservation fee is non‑refundable after May 1.
- Tuition refunds: Refunds may be granted where full annual tuition has been paid and the student leaves before the end of the school year. Refunds require 30 days written advance notice and will be made upon receipt of a written request from the paying individual or organization. Refunds are calculated on the basis of quarters; the tuition allocation by quarter is 35% (first quarter), 30% (second quarter), 25% (third quarter) and 10% (fourth quarter). For example, if a student attends only the first quarter, 35% of annual tuition is charged and the remaining 65% may be refunded; if a student attends the first two quarters, 65% is charged and 35% may be refunded, and so on. Other fees follow their specific refund terms.

Payment methods and practical details

- Wire transfer (Dirhams) to the school's First Abu Dhabi Bank account: account and IBAN details are provided by the school; all wire transfer charges are the responsibility of the payer.
- Dirham check drawn on a local (UAE) bank payable to American Community School.
- Credit card: credit card payments are available; requests for credit card payment should be sent to the school contact indicated for payments (email address provided by the school's billing office).

Notes and practical points

- The reservation fee is applied toward annual tuition and must be paid before a student may attend class. New students who enroll partway through the year will be invoiced at acceptance and follow the installment structure for amounts due at enrollment. Late payments may affect a student's ability to attend classes until payment is made.
Academics

American Community School of Abu Dhabi teaches IB (PYP), IB (MYP), IB (DP), American Curriculum for students aged 4 to 18.

Curriculum
The American Community School of Abu Dhabi delivers an American standards-based curriculum taught in English, organized into Elementary (KG1–Grade 5), Middle School (Grade 6–8), and High School (Grade 9–12). The school offers both the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, with a focus on personalized learning across the grade levels. In Grades 9 and 10, courses are designed to prepare students for IB DP, AP, or general high school study in Grades 11 and 12, with a typical Grade 9 schedule including English 9, Integrated Mathematics, Science 9, World History 9, Physical Education/Health 9, World Language, and two electives. In Grades 11 and 12, students may enroll in the IB Diploma Programme, Advanced Placement courses, or ACS High School courses, with a minimum of seven credit-bearing courses required. Graduation requires 25 credits earned across English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Language (two credits in the same language), Creative Arts, Physical Education & Health, and Electives, plus Arabic/Islamic Studies requirements under UAE MOE as applicable. Service Learning is integrated into the curriculum, and the High School features an experiential learning program called Viper Venture that undertakes yearly field experiences in Abu Dhabi and beyond.
Wellbeing
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Parent Experience
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Facilities
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Extra-Curricular Activities
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Languages
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Reputation
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Admissions

Admissions
1. Age requirements. ACS serves KG1 through Grade 12. A child must be 4 years old before September 1 to enroll in KG1, 5 for KG2, and 6 for Grade 1. Grades 2–12 have age guidelines and the admissions team reviews files to determine the best fit for the student.

2. Pre-Application. Begin with a Pre-Application to ACS, creating an online profile in the Veracross system. The Veracross system sends a username and a link to create a password; do not re-start the Pre-Application if you navigated away.

3. Application Form. Log in to the Application Form and complete the required sections; you can move in and out of the form as you work. All required sections must be marked completed before review, and the non-refundable application fee must be paid.

4. Required documents. Submit Report Cards for the previous two years, any standardized test scores, and Confidential Assessment Forms from your current school. High school transcript for Grades 10-12 when available; include additional documents such as IEPs, 504 plans, or psychological/educational evaluations if relevant. Upload PDFs in the Additional Documents section.

5. Schedule a visit. Schedule a campus tour (ACS offers tours Monday–Wednesday at 9 a.m.); a confirmation email is sent when the tour is confirmed. Virtual tours are also available.

6. Admissions timeline and review. Applications for the 2026-27 school year are open. The Admissions Timeline outlines waves of applications and when admissions decisions are typically communicated. Completed applications are time-stamped and Admissions Office staff will verify each document before determining if they are ready for review.
School Events
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