The key facts
- Harrow Abu Dhabi will begin operating in August 2027; the opening was postponed due to infrastructure requirements and approvals on Saadiyat Island
- Fees range from AED 80,000 (FS1) to AED 106,000 (Year 6) per year; boarding will come later and cost more, with the price not yet determined
- Fees range from 80,000 dirhams (FS1) to 106,000 dirhams (Year 6) per year; boarding will launch later and cost more, with the price not yet determined
- The campus is designed for 1,800 pupils on a site of about 70,000 square metres — 30% larger than the Dubai campus that opened earlier this year
Opening postponed to 2027
Harrow Abu Dhabi, a branch of one of Britain's oldest schools, will open in August 2027 — the launch, originally planned for this year, has been postponed. Founding Headmaster Adrian Frost attributed the delay to operational constraints on Saadiyat Island, including infrastructure requirements and approvals from the authorities, stressing that 'there were no obstacles on the school's side — they were ready.' According to him, these difficulties have been overcome: construction has reached the third and final floor, and work is moving on to windows and interior finishing. The campus is designed for 1,800 pupils on a site of about 70,000 square metres — 30% larger than the Harrow campus in Dubai, which opened earlier this year.
The 'extended day' model and Harrow traditions
Frost compared bringing a British school with 450 years of history to the UAE with buying a Rolls-Royce abroad: certain features will change to suit the country, but 'the ethos and culture will remain the same.' For parents, this will translate into an extended school day: lessons, breakfast, classes, and at the end of the day, tea and supervised homework — 'prep.' Teachers, in the Harrow tradition, will be called 'beaks.' The school will place emphasis on reading and handwriting, with reduced reliance on screens. Meals will be organised on campus: pupils will not be allowed to bring lunchboxes from home — several dining halls will serve food throughout the day, with an emphasis on nutrition and teaching etiquette. Harrow intends to include sport, performing arts and other activities in the base fee, although agreements with external providers in Abu Dhabi have not yet been finalised.
Boarding — no earlier than two years from now
The Saadiyat campus will initially admit children from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6. Boarding will be considered at the next stage of the school's expansion; the opening date and cost of residence have not yet been confirmed. Frost estimated that Abu Dhabi's first boarding house would take at least two years to appear , noting that half of the building will not be needed for at least a year after opening. Work on boarding policies is ongoing with the regulators, operator Taaleem and Harrow; the school intends to meet the standards of the Boarding Schools' Association. Frost, who himself attended a boarding school and has experience establishing a boarding house in Portugal, hopes that families from the UAE and the Gulf region who usually send their children to study abroad will consider Abu Dhabi as an alternative. At the same time, he cautioned against viewing boarding as a universal solution: 'There are children who flourish in such an environment, while for some it is difficult.' The additional boarding fee will be higher than the base fee, but the exact amount has not been determined: 'it is important that we do not price ourselves out of the market.'
Fees and the Dubai campus as a benchmark
Annual fees will range from AED 80,000 for FS1 to AED 106,000 for Year 6. At the Dubai campus, where Frost completed his induction, around 96 clubs and activities were running for 400 pupils; a significant share of enrolment there consists of British families, which Frost called 'unsurprising.' The Abu Dhabi campus will broadly mirror the Dubai one, although the sites differ in shape and size: Frost highlighted the early years spaces, the auditorium, music rooms and sports facilities. He described the location next to Saadiyat's cultural institutions — the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Guggenheim museums and NYU Abu Dhabi — as part of the appeal for a school focused on music and the performing arts: 'This place is not just an address, it is a learning resource.'
Why it matters
Harrow's opening affects families in the UAE and the Gulf region who currently send their children to boarding schools abroad: the emergence of Abu Dhabi's first boarding house (at least two years away) could change that choice. In practical terms, parents can already plan their budget based on the stated range of AED 80,000–106,000 per year, but key parameters — the cost of boarding, agreements with external activity providers and the exact timeline for the next stage — remain undetermined, which limits the completeness of the picture.
