Parents can register children for UAE public schools for the 2026-27 academic year from February 9 to March 6
Registration for the 2026-27 academic year in UAE government schools will follow the updated age-based admission policy, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced.
Under the policy, children born between January 1 and December 31, 2022, who turn four by December 31 of the enrolment year, will be eligible for KG1. Those born between January 1 and December 31, 2021, who turn five by December 31, will be eligible for KG2, while students born between January 1 and December 31, 2020, who turn six by December 31, will be admitted to Grade 1.
For children who were not eligible to register in the 2025-26 academic year because their birth dates fall between September 1 and December 31, 2021, parents will be given the option to enrol them in either KG1 or KG2.
This came as the ministry announced that registration for government schools for the 2026-27 academic year will open on February 9 and continue until March 6.
The registration is open to Emirati students and includes four groups from kindergarten through Grade 12: new students, those transferring from private schools, students arriving from schools outside the country, and students moving between government schools.
According to the MoE, adhering to the registration timeline is essential to ensure schools are prepared for the new academic year, allowing early planning for student distribution based on geographic zones, staffing requirements, textbooks and school transport services.
Parents can submit applications through the ministry’s official website or via the UAE MoE app. The ministry also urged guardians to update personal data linked to their digital ID and select school transport services during registration to ensure availability at the start of the academic year.
As per new rules announced by the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council, children in the UAE will be able to start Pre-Kindergarten at age three if they turn three at any point during the admission year from the 2026–27 academic year. The change shifts the age cut-off from August 31 to December 31, allowing many children born between September and December to begin school a year earlier.
However, as schools begin implementing the changes, some families say they are having to revisit admission plans they had already finalised, with some children moved into higher year groups or asked to start earlier than expected.
© Khaleej Times
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