Future International School, Al Ain

Opened its gates for students in 2004, Future International School Al Ain is a premier US curriculum school in Al Ain. It is a sister school of the recently constructed Future International Academy (FIA) in Al Ain also offering US-based education.

It is a private and co-educational K-12 school educating children aged 4 to 18 years old. The school enriched the curriculum with modern-day skills to prepare them for global challenges.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) last inspected the school for the academic year 2019-2020. As per their report, there are 881 students, half of whom are Emiratis. Students from Egypt, Oman and other nationalities also co-exist.

The dedicated teaching staff of 77 full-time teachers and 12 teaching assistants are available to support students. Parents need not worry about attention and care as the student-to-teacher ratio of 1:11 – lower than many international schools in the UAE. The quality of education at FIS is satisfactory, as ADEK rated the performance of the school as acceptable.

This Future International School review by Bayut will help you learn more about its educational programme, school facilities and much more.

Location: Al Salam Street, Al Ain

Annual Tuition Fee: AED 11,730 to AED 25,070

Curriculum: US Curriculum

Co-Education/Segregated: Co-education

ADEK Rating: Acceptable

Grades: KG1 to Grade 12

Future International School enjoys its location at Al Salam Street, near Al Sarouj. The communities located close to the school are

• Al Murabaa
• Al Mutawah
• Al Jaheli

Al Murabaa is one of the cultural districts in Al Ain popular for the Al Murabaa Heritage Festival that happens every year. One can find a plethora of 3-bed to 4-bed residential villas with incredible living amenities.

• Apartments for rent near Future International School
• Villas for rent near Future International School

Future International School Al Ain has a spacious campus located close to Al Salam Street that offers plenty of space for academic and non-academic facilities. It has a single-story building that is carefully planned to ensure ample facilities for all grades. Classrooms are bright, spacious and airy. The school emphasises on developing an environment that aids in students’ learning.

Other facilities include specialised rooms, science labs, computer labs and indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

Future International School is on 2nd Street, which is slightly off Al Salam Street near Al Sarouj, Al Ain. One can find the school near Saeed Bin Zaid Mosque in Al Sarouj. Those interested in visiting the school from the nearby location can access it through Zayed Bin Sultan Street and 106th street. Al Salam Street connects these streets with the school.

Future International School is one of the premium US curriculum schools in Al Ain. Since 2004, the school has been offering standard quality education to students. The educational programme of this school is broad and academically rigorous. Students completing their schooling from schools following the US Curriculum are accepted in top colleges and universities around the world. Its vision is to become an exemplary educational institute by following the Vision of UAE 2021. It fulfils its vision through its educational programme that forms independent and creative students with exceptional leadership and teamwork skills.

Future International School (FIS) has an affordable fee structure that attracts the eyes of many parents. It is a value-based school offering quality academic and non-academic activities at a modest tuition fee. The fees charged by the school are much less than the tuition fees charged by other US curriculum schools in the UAE.

A key strength of this educational institute is its dedicated and experienced teaching staff. Most teachers at this school are qualified and have relevant experience. They fully support the academic needs of students by diligently using curricular frameworks and best teaching practices. Additionally, the teacher-to-student ratio at the school is 1:11, ensuring plenty of individual attention and care. Moreover, the staff turnover rate at school is 12%, which is around the average turnover rate for teachers in the UAE.

Future International School (FIS) Al Ain is a K-12 school catering to the educational needs of students aged 4 to 18 years old. The educational system at the school has the following phases of education:

The educational foundations laid by the Future International School (FIS) Al Ain are based on the US National Curriculum. The syllabus followed at the school is broad and engaging. It stimulates different aspects of students’ learning that help in the development of learners with exceptional learning skills. From Kindergarten to Grade 12 education, it follows the Common Core State Standard. Students in secondary school prepare for the US High School Diploma. To get admission to colleges and universities, students sit the Standard Assessment Test (SAT) and IELTS or TOEFL.

The school’s syllabus is highly diverse and covers a wide range of subjects. Besides academic activities, it also supports the provision of non-academic co-curricular activities. This acts as a balancing force for students to indulge in both academic and non-academic disciplines to develop modern-day skills.

The subjects taught at Future International School include English, History or geography, Science and Mathematics. They also teach Physical Education (PE) and Arts as per the California and Virginia state standards. Other subjects offered to students are Arabic, Islamic Education and UAE Social Studies. They are taught as per the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

The marking system at this school is based on credit hours and the grade point system. Students in secondary school need to complete around 150 to 180 credit hours for eight subjects excluding MOE subjects (Arabic and Islamic Studies).

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) is a governmental body for regulating the education sector of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra region. Established in 2005, it aims to improve the standard of quality offered by the education institutes in the aforementioned regions. Through its Irtiqaa Programme, it inspects the performance of schools every 18 to 24 months. The performance is inspected against the six performance standards laid by the ADEK, which are as follows:

• Leadership and Management
• Students’ Achievements
• Students’ social and personal development and innovation skills
• Curriculum
• Assessment and Teaching
• Protection, care, guidance and support offered to students

The performance of the school is inspected by using the ADEK’s six-point scale. Below is a brief explanation of each rating on the scale:

ADEK rated the performance of the school as “Acceptable” in the latest inspection report for Future International School Al Ain for the academic year 2019-2020.

Students’ Social and Personal Development and their innovation skills, and protection, care, support and guidance provided to students are rated good. Whereas, the rest of the performance standards were rated as acceptable.

The following strengths of the schools were reported in the latest report:

• Students have made good achievement in Arabic-medium subjects and almost all subjects in the high school.
• FIS’ students have a great respect and understanding of the UAE’s culture and heritage.
• The school has reinitiated nursery phase

The performance of the school is satisfactory and meets the minimum requirements of the Ministry of education. To further improve their rating, ADEK drew the following recommendations:

• The school needs to make stronger achievements in all subjects, especially English, mathematics and science.
• Future International School should arrange for provisions for less-able students and offer more challenge to more-able students.
• The school must improve its curriculum to equip students with problem-solving, critical thinking and innovation skills.
• FIS Al Ain must monitor the teachers’ development and its impact on students.

The academic calendar of FIS Al Ain starts in the last week of August and ends in the last week of June.

• The first term starts in the last week of August and ends in the second week of December. This is followed by the winter break that ends in the last week of December.
• The second term starts in the first week of January and ends in the fourth week of March. Students then go on a spring break that ends in the first week of April.
• The third term starts in the second week of April and ends in the last week of June.

For more information, contact the school.

To enrol your child at Future International School Al Ain, please fill the online registration form. If you are applying for the first time at this school then click on the new application button on the form. If your child is already a student and applying for re-registration for the next academic year then simply login with the credentials.

Along with the registration form, you need to submit the following documents to proceed with the admission request:

• Birth certificate of the candidate
• A copy of the candidate’s passport
• Six recent passport-size photographs of the candidate
• A copy of the candidate’s parents passports (with a valid UAE residence visa for non-UAE nationals)
• Original and a copy of Emirates ID card
• Previous academic record (the latest transcript must be officially signed)

Please note that the official documents, such as birth certificate, must be translated into Arabic or English by the official translator and must be attested by the Ministry of Foreign affairs (country of origin and the UAE Embassy (within the country of origin). The transfer certificate must be translated into English or Arabic and have proper attestation and signature by the previous school.

Additionally, the documents required for admission in KG2 to Grade 12 are listed below:

• Medical form (available from the school)
• A copy of the applicant’s vaccination record
• Completed KG information for (for admission in KG2, provided by the school)
• Good conduct certificate issued by the previous school
• Address of the residence for school transport
• Documents suggesting additional learning needs for the candidate
• If applying from UAE (except Abu Dhabi and Al Ain), a transfer certificate attested by the Educational Board of that Emirate, original report card and certificate of continuation studies.
• Those applying from outside the UAE need to submit the transfer certificate attested by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UAE Embassy. They also need to submit a letter confirming the successful completion of the previous grade.

This is based on the age of the students on 31st August (for schools beginning in September). Source: ADEK

* This is to cater to students transferring from systems that admit students of a younger age)

Once all the required documents are submitted, the school contacts parents to bring their child for an assessment. The assessment may include a written test and/or interview depending upon the grade. After successfully clearing the entrance tests, the school asks parents to pay the required instalment and sign the necessary forms as per the guidelines of MOE. For more information, read the admission policy of Future International School Al Ain.

The Future International School Al Ain fees are as follows:

Tuition Fee

The tuition fee charged by the school is given below:

The aforementioned fee includes charges for books and uniforms.

Upon Registration

The tuition fee can be paid in three instalments. The first instalment is due at the beginning of the academic year. The second instalment is due in November and the third instalment is due in February.

The school offers a 5% discount on the tuition fee on the second child, a 10% discount on the third child and a 15% discount on the fourth child onwards. Also, it offers a 10% discount to Fazza cardholders.

For more information, check out the fee structure of Future International School.

Currently, there are no scholarship awards for academically brilliant students at Future International School Al Ain.

The school offers a reliable school transport service that picks and drops children to and from the designated points.

As per ADEK's website, the school charges AED 1,500 for transportation for all grades. For more information, contact the school's administration.

It is a day-only school and does not offer boarding facilities to students. Those living far from the school can use the school transport service or move to communities located close to the school.

Sport is an important part of the co-curricular activities offered to students at Future International School. It helps students to live an active and healthy life. For this purpose, the school has some incredible sports facilities, including the multi-purpose indoor hall, a soccer field and an outdoor play area.

The school conducts annual sports competitions for boys and girls where they show their sporting skills and compete with other students. Awards are distributed to the participants and winners of different sporting events.

Future International School (FIS) Al Ain has a comprehensive extracurricular programme that caters to the non-academic needs of students. The extra-curricular programme has activities suitable for different age groups and students with different interests. One can find a plethora of activities ranging from sports to arts and culture, creative arts to storytelling and much more.

One of the popular extra-curricular activities at this school is the FIS STEM Exhibition. This exhibition is conducted every year where children translate their STEM knowledge into age-appropriate science projects. Similarly, students also participate in the science fair where they display their scientific knowledge in amazing projects. Such extra-curricular projects allow children to use their academic knowledge in co-curricular activities. Other noteworthy extra-curricular activities offered to students at FIS are:

Field trip allows an opportunity for teachers to teach students beyond the walls of classrooms. Students constantly interact with their surroundings and learn new things. Furthermore, they try to link the classroom lectures with the practical environment. To aid in the process, Future International School arranges several field trips throughout the year. Both recreational and educational trips are offered to students. Some popular field trips arranged by FIS are:

• Fun City
• Bawadi Mall
• Al-Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club
• Al Ain Zoo

Currently, the only after-school care provided to students is in the form of the extra-curricular programme.

Several modes of communication are available for teachers and parents to interact. The most common communication tool extensively used by parents is the school portal. The portal allows easy access to attendance records, academic performance, news, circulars, examinations schedules and much more.

Parents and teachers can discuss the progress made by children during one of many parent-teacher meetings at Future International School. These meetings serve as an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss students’ behaviour, strengths and weaknesses. These meetings help both parents and teachers to better understand children and provide an improved learning experience to them.

The school website is another source of information for teachers, parents and the wider community. It is an ideal source for parents to find the best school for their children. Here, visitors can find information on the educational programme, admission policy, fee structure, etc. help them in making an informed decision.

Other sources of communication at this school are social media platforms, WhatsApp groups, telephone numbers and email addresses.

Address: 2nd Street, Al Salam Street, Al Sarouj, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Telephone Number

• For general information: +971 3 7666771

Email Address

• For general information: info@fischools.ae
• For registration enquiries: registration@fischools.ae

Official Website and Social Media

• Future International School Website
• Facebook Page for FIS Al Ain
• Instagram Page for FIS Al Ain
• LinkedIn profile for FIS Al Ain

Note that the cover image belongs to Future International School Al Ain

Do you conduct after-school activities?

The school conducts extracurricular activities after regular school time.

How many grades/years are there in your school? Is there a waiting list for admission?

The school offers education from KG1 to Grade 12. Yes, the school has a waiting list for candidates who have successfully cleared the entrance test but failed to obtain a seat due to a lack of vacancies. These students will be considered when a vacancy arrives.

Does your school follow a co-education model?

Future International School Al Ain is a co-education school. However, boys and girls study in separate sections after Grade 3.

How many students are currently studying in your school?  Does the school provide support to students of determination?

Currently. 881 students from different nationalities including Emiratis and other Arab nationals are studying at FIS Al Ain. About 1% of the student force have special educational needs and the management ensures that their needs are thoroughly fulfilled.

Can you please describe the academic calendar of your school?

The academic year at FIS Al Ain starts in late August and ends in the last week of June. For more detailed information, check out the academic calendar section in the guide.

Can you please mention the range of the tuition fee charged by your school?

The school’s annual fees range from AED 11,730 to AED 25,070.

How do you communicate with parents?

Several modes of communication are used to inform parents about their children's progress. Besides parent-teacher meetings, parents can access the school website, WhatsApp groups and other social media pages for the latest news.

Does the school provide an electronic parent portal or any electronic application for communication?

Yes, the school provides a special portal for parents that enables them to view attendance and absence records, curriculum, academic performance, examination schedules, news, developments and other important information.

How many teachers are currently teaching in your school?

FIS Al Ain has 77 teachers and 12 assistant teachers.