ICSE and ISC Schools in Dubai

A teenager can finish Grade 10 at an ICSE school and still face a real choice about where to spend the next two years. One campus might put Biology and Mathematics together, while another may offer the same subjects in different combinations or ask for particular Grade 10 marks. If the student wants to move schools, the question is whether the receiving campus can register them for the exact set of ISC subjects they want.

Dubai families can compare JSS International School in Jumeirah Village Circle, Ambassador School in Mankhool and GEMS Modern Academy in Nad Al Sheba. All three offer a route to the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education examination in Grade 10 and the Indian School Certificate examination in Grade 12, under the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, or CISCE. The important differences show up in how they organise senior subjects, what they publish about admission, and how much the family will pay in Grades 11 and 12. CISCE school locator

Compare the three campuses

The fees are the published 2026–27 figures for the Indian curriculum route. They exclude applicable exam fees, transport and personal supplies. The Grade 11 and 12 columns compare both year groups in the same fee schedule. If your child is entering Grade 11 now, use the second figure as a budgeting reference for Grade 12 and request that academic year’s schedule when it becomes available. KHDA 2023–24 inspection results

JSS International School in Jumeirah Village Circle South

JSS International School serves children from pre-primary through Grade 12 and identifies its senior route as ISC. The school name and Jumeirah Village Circle South address matter when looking up forms, because JSS Private School is a separate Dubai school. The International School’s curriculum page describes Science, Commerce and Humanities. Its Grade 11 admissions page gives detailed examples for Science and Commerce, including a minimum of ten students choosing an option before it will run. Families interested in Humanities should ask for the current combinations directly. JSS curriculum · JSS admissions and Grade 11 subject groups · KHDA directory

The published Science groups are useful for comparing two students with slightly different plans. One group has English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, with a further choice that includes Mathematics or Computer Science among other options. The other has English, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, with Biology or Psychology listed as the next choice. A student weighing engineering against life sciences can ask the school to confirm which group gives them the subjects required by the courses they are considering. Another student who wants to keep Computer Science alongside Biology can point to the first group and ask whether the combination is running for their intake.

The Commerce section lists English, Accounts, Business Studies and Economics, with choices that include Mathematics and Computer Science. Bring the actual combination your teenager wants so the school can clarify which of the electives sit together. JSS’s Grade 11 admissions page asks for evidence that the student passed the qualifying or equivalent examination, and a transfer or school-leaving certificate. An applicant coming from another board should bring the original board marksheet and ask how the school handles eligibility with CISCE. JSS admissions process

The school’s 2026–27 table puts Grades 9–10 at AED 32,400, Grade 11 at AED 37,355 and Grade 12 at AED 41,513. The jump from Grade 10 to Grade 11 on that schedule is AED 4,955. For Grade 12, KHDA shows AED 43,698 in tuition before a 5% discount, which produces the published AED 41,513 figure after rounding. KHDA lists books, uniform and transport separately and gives a Grade 12 transport range of AED 5,000–7,000. If the bus matters to your decision, ask which route serves your building and how pickup and drop-off work on days when an activity ends later. JSS 2026–27 fee table · KHDA Grade 12 fee sheet

JSS International School on Instagram shared its swimmers’ participation in an inter-school relay championship. A student who wants to keep swimming through the board years can ask about trials, training times and how the schedule fits around practical classes.

Ambassador School in Mankhool

Ambassador School on 41A Street in Mankhool offers ICSE at secondary level and ISC in the final two years. KHDA’s inspection report identifies the exact campus and names both exams. The school’s public curriculum page describes the route without laying out the Grade 11 timetable by elective block. If the campus works well for your family, ask for the senior subject form before paying to secure a place. Ambassador School curriculum · KHDA campus inspection

For example, a student with Economics and Mathematics in mind could send the admissions office both subjects in one request. Ask for the rest of that combination, which subjects require particular marks, and whether the same set is expected to run in Grade 12. If your teenager wants a subject with a practical or project element, ask who assesses it and when classes begin. That timing matters when a student is joining after the cohort has started its work. If you have a second combination in mind, ask whether the school can put it in the written offer as a fallback if the first choice cannot run.

The school’s 2026–27 admissions page advertises Grade 11 along with earlier entry years. Its policy calls for an interactive session with a teacher and asks for documentation including an attested transfer certificate. It says families offered a place have ten working days to pay the relevant fees and submit the paperwork. Ask which documents the school needs at the interaction and which it expects after the offer. Families waiting for a final board result can ask when the subject allocation becomes firm and which payment is due at that point. Ambassador Mankhool admissions · Ambassador admissions policy

The school’s 2026–27 fee page labels its table provisional. It lists AED 42,567 for Grade 10, AED 44,956 for Grade 11 and AED 45,750 for Grade 12. The current KHDA Grade 11 sheet also gives AED 44,956 and lists books at AED 1,100–1,800, uniforms at AED 800–2,500 and optional transport at AED 4,500–9,000. The school’s fee page lists a separate AED 500 admission fee. If you need bus service, get a route quote before comparing Ambassador with a school you could reach without a bus. Ambassador 2026–27 fee schedule · KHDA Grade 11 fee sheet

Ambassador School’s Instagram shared its UAE Flag Day celebration. It offers a glimpse of an occasion shared across the school community. A Grade 11 applicant can ask the school how new students get to know classmates outside their own subject group, particularly if they are joining later in the year.

GEMS Modern Academy in Nad Al Sheba

GEMS Modern Academy offers the CISCE curriculum from Grade 6 through Grade 12 and has an IB pathway on the same campus. Its ICSE and ISC page describes guidance in Grade 8 ahead of the Grade 9 choices and gives specific prerequisites for senior subjects. This makes Modern worth examining early if a student already has a particular route in mind. When making an enquiry, specify the CISCE pathway and the year group so the conversation starts with the right programme. GEMS Modern Academy · Modern ICSE and ISC pathway

Modern says ISC students select five subjects, including compulsory English. The school lists a 65% preliminary-exam threshold in each relevant subject for students choosing Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science or Mathematics. It also says students need to have taken Computer Application in Grade 10 to choose Computer Science. Students who took Commerce in Grade 10 cannot choose Physics, Chemistry and Biology under the school’s published rules. If your child is transferring from a school that names its subjects differently, bring the previous syllabus and marksheet and ask Modern which evidence it will use for placement. Modern published subject requirements

The distinction also matters for Grade 9. Modern’s pathway page gives a qualifying mark based on Grade 8 performance for Science and Computer Applications choices in Grades 9 and 10. A student aiming for Computer Science in Grade 11 can trace the sequence back to those early choices. If you are moving before Grade 9, ask about that sequence at the first admissions meeting. If you are moving after Grade 10, ask how the school considers the prior subject and marks together.

For the Indian route, KHDA lists AED 56,706 in tuition in both Grades 11 and 12 for 2026–27. The AED 15 diary and AED 10 ID charges bring the listed total to AED 56,731 in either grade before board exam charges and supplies. For Grade 11, KHDA lists books at AED 1,150–1,320 and optional transport at AED 5,900–7,750. A separate Grade 11 Indian/IB fee sheet shows AED 73,876 tuition. If your family is weighing ISC and IB at Modern, ask for a schedule naming the programme and showing what the school would invoice for each. KHDA Grade 11 Indian fee sheet · KHDA Grade 12 Indian fee sheet · Separate Grade 11 Indian/IB fee sheet

Modern’s Instagram shared a reel about its student rock band Paradigm. If music is important to your teenager, ask how auditions and rehearsals work for students who join in the senior years.

Check the sequence before committing

If you are comparing schools for Grade 9, ask which ICSE choices lead into the ISC subjects your child might want later. For Grade 11, ask for the complete combination, the conditions attached to each subject and a second combination your teenager would genuinely want to study. Give the receiving school the previous board, the marksheet, the intended start date and any details of practical work already completed. Ask it to explain which part of the decision depends on the final results and which part depends on the timetable.

For a student already in Grade 11, bring the registered subject list and ask the new school whether it can continue each subject. The CISCE regulations for the 2028 ISC examination prohibit adding a Grade 12 subject the student did not study in Grade 11 and specify a deadline for changes during Grade 11. A family planning a move should ask both schools what happens to attendance records, project work and registration. CISCE ISC 2028 regulations

An applicant coming from a different board has two separate decisions to work through. The school can assess whether the student meets its admissions criteria and has the background for the requested classes. CISCE decides the eligibility of candidates coming from an equivalent examination under another recognised board. For the 2028 examination cycle, the board specifies passes in English and four other subjects for those applicants, alongside the equivalent exam’s own pass requirements. Ask the school when it will submit the marks, when it expects to receive the eligibility decision and whether the subject offer depends on that decision. CISCE ISC 2028 regulations

A family comparing two workable offers can also sketch a typical week before committing. If a student is taking a lab subject and wants to stay for a club, find out which days finish late and whether the regular bus serves those days. A lower tuition figure can leave room in the budget for transport or activities, but the arrangement still needs to work at the times your child will actually travel. Ask for the route, then check the cost and pickup point against the address where the family expects to live. For a student switching campuses midyear, ask which books can come with them and which texts, uniform pieces or equipment need to be bought again.

Frequently asked questions

Can a student move from CBSE into ISC after Grade 10?

It can be possible. CISCE’s 2028 examination regulations allow a school to admit a student provisionally after an equivalent examination from a recognised board and submit the marks to CISCE for an eligibility decision. The campus also has its own admissions process and subject requirements. Ask which documents it needs and when it expects to confirm the student’s eligibility and subjects. CISCE ISC regulations

Can my child change subjects in Grade 12?

Plan the move around the existing combination. CISCE’s 2028 rules say a student cannot take up a new subject in Class XII that they did not study in Class XI. Ask the receiving school whether it can teach and register all the subjects already on the student’s record. CISCE ISC regulations

What should we compare alongside the annual tuition?

Ask for the initial payment, any deposit credited against tuition, books, uniform, the bus fare for your stop and applicable board exam charges. Keep the first invoice separate from the full-year cost. That makes it easier to compare an offer with a larger payment upfront against one where costs are spread throughout the year.