Raha International School, Khalifa City Campus
Abu Dhabi, UAE · est. 2020 · PrivateThe Khalifa City Campus is the second site of Raha International School, opened in September 2020 because the first had run out of places. It stands a seven-minute drive from the Gardens campus and takes children right through from the Minis pre-kindergarten group to grade 12. The school is young: its first cohort graduated in 2026, and it launches the career-related CP route in the 2026/2027 academic year. Its pupils come from eighty-five countries. The school names four languages: English as the language of instruction, plus Arabic, French and Spanish. The International Baccalaureate programmes are the primary, middle years and diploma ones; alongside them run Pearson's British BTEC qualifications as part of the IBCP. The campus was purpose-built for the school and, by its own account, is equipped throughout to a modern standard - and that is the second reason to look at it separately from the older campus: beyond this it has not yet built up a history of its own.
Key facts
Accreditations and programmes verified against official registries
CIS · accreditationIB · PYP, MYP, DP · authorised programmeWhat stands behind each entry
It accredits international schools and is a paying association at the same time. It examines governance and ownership, the curriculum, teaching, student wellbeing, staff and premises; a team of volunteers from other CIS accredited schools visits the school. Membership and accreditation are different things here, and schools confuse them more often than anything else.
What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →A Swiss non-profit, working since 1968. Its programmes are among the most widely recognised school programmes in the world. Authorisation is granted stage by stage, so a school with the final stage does not necessarily run the younger ones; which stages this school holds is set out in the line below.
What the badge means for this school. The school is allowed to run this programme and to award its certificate. This is a confirmation of the programme, not a judgement on the school as a whole. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it. At this school: PYP (ages 3-12), MYP (ages 11-16), DP (ages 16-19). PYP is the primary stage, ages 3 to 12. It is not a set of subjects but a frame for the whole school: learning is built around lines of inquiry, and there are no exams at the end. MYP is the middle stage, ages 11 to 16. There are no exams here either; at the end an optional electronic assessment of pupils' work is possible. DP is the final stage, ages 16 to 19: six subjects plus a compulsory core of theory of knowledge, an extended essay and CAS. The diploma is accepted by universities all over the world, and in a number of countries it counts for admission on the same footing as the local leaving certificate.
Register to check for yourself, and the full guide →A British vocational qualification from Pearson: not an academic course with an exam at the end, but a programme of practical assignments in a particular trade, from engineering and business to art and sport.
What this means for this school. Teaching and assessment work differently from A-level: instead of written exams there is a run of practical assignments marked by the school, while Pearson checks the school itself and samples the work. British universities do accept BTEC, but not all of them and not for every course: level 3 carries the same UCAS points as A-level, and that is what a family aiming at a particular university should look at. For a child who needs the classic academic route, BTEC is not a replacement for A-level but a different path.