Nine private schools are expected to open this academic year, adding about 17,326 student places across the emirate.

Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) said four schools would offer the British curriculum, three would teach the American curriculum, another the Indian curriculum and one the Ministry of Education curriculum.

The emirate is home to 186 private schools for about 236,000 students, according to Adec, the emirate’s education regulator.

There were 2,600 seats added this academic year “as an expansion plan of existing schools teaching Indian curriculum”, Adec said on its website.

In addition to the nine new schools, Adec said there were about 19 schools under construction that were “expected to operate during the two coming academic years, adding more than 30,000 seats in the market”.

Adec did not respond to requests for more information about the new schools’ names, locations and tuition schedules.