Sharjah schools' report card: 14 ranked 'very good' for 2025

The number of private schools in Sharjah ranked ‘very good’ has gone up to 14 in 2025, after the latest inspection cycle showed five schools move to the top category. 

Releasing the data for the third cycle of the Itqan programme for the 2024–2025 academic year, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) said it marks a huge improvement from 2018 when only one school was classified ‘very good’.

In the latest inspection of 86 schools, 53 were graded ‘good’ and 28 as ‘acceptable’. 

No school was rated ‘weak’ or ‘very weak’.

The education regulatory board highlighted that the ‘good’ school category also marked progress, moving up from seven schools in 2018 to 79 schools in 2025.

Meanwhile, the number of ‘acceptable’ schools dropped from 68 to 28. 

Ali Al-Hosani, Director-General of SPEA, said Itqan not only monitors performance but also provides a structured roadmap for continuous improvement.

It was introduced to evaluate the performance of private schools and ensure it meets the standards set under the UAE’s national school evaluation framework.

Al-Hosani added that engaging parents, students and staff through surveys offers valuable insight into the quality of education and helps identify areas for improvement. Itqan also includes school leadership and professional development programmes exclusively for teachers and staff. 

A self-assessment initiative also supports schools in periodically reviewing their performance to identify strengths and areas for growth.

Latest inspection report

Field visits were conducted across 86 schools offering 10 curricula. Of these, 43 schools were rated ‘Good’ in 2022–2023, 37 schools rated ‘Acceptable’ in 2023–2024, and six new schools.

The evaluation took place in two phases, covering 33 schools between the November 4-28, 2024, and 53 schools between January 20-February 20, 2025. It included classroom observations, document reviews, activity participation and stakeholder meetings. Surveys also gathered input from 40,838 parents, 44,810 students and 5,698 teachers.