UAE school operator Taaleem puts in another strong revenue gain to Dh306m
Taaleem scores with higher student intake for its existing premium schools in Q1-25
Dubai: The Dubai school operator Taaleem put up another quarter of revenue gains to total Dh306.1 million, which is a solid 14.8% increase over the year before. This is for the September to end November period, which coincides with the DFM-listed company’s first quarter of its 2024-25 financial year. (The September start is in sync with the new academic year that UAE schools pass through.)
Taaleem also confirmed it has bought land for two of its planned super-premium campuses, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It had entered a partnership with the famed Harrow last year to bring the UK public school operator to the UAE.
Plots to build new schools have been in high demand in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while operators are also looking at new mixed-use developments in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah to take up school projects there as well. At the same time, acquiring existing schools has been another growth area, with some of the deals getting done at premium valuations, industry sources say.
On DFM, the share price was up nearly 1% yesterday to Dh4.18.
We successfully completed two major acquisitions, extending our reach into both established and new curricula—an achievement that has boosted our premium school capacity by 28% yoy to 21,574 seats
Higher student intake
Once again, Taaleem gained from higher intakes of students at its upscale schools, which now number 12 after the addition of two new institutions to its network. This includes the Lycee Libanais Francophone Prive Meydan in Dubai. (The company also has 22 more schools under management, through the public-private partnership deals with the UAE authorities.)
The acquisition of LLFP Meydan added 2,070 seats to Taaleem’s capacity. “We also launched our new school, DBS Jumeira, in Q1 2024-25, accommodating up to 1,852 students, while Greenfield International School increased its capacity by an additional 500 seats during the same period,” said Khalid Al Tayer, Chairman of Taaleem.
At the end of November, the overall intake across its premium schools were 16,557 students, higher by 18% over the year before total.
Profit scores
When it comes to net profit for the period, Taaleem came up with Dh68.2 million, an increase of 46.3% from a year ago. This translates into a 22.3 margin. Taaleem for the current period also benefited from deferred tax totalling Dh118,064 against Dh27.6 million a year ago.
“Our gross profit and EBITDA margins remain strong this quarter at 47.9% and 35.3% respectively, reinforcing our confidence in Taaleem’s operating model,” said Alan Williamson, CEO at the Dubai company.
More schools coming up
Taaleem is definitely not in the mood to slow down on new school builds. There is already the purchase of land and buildings for the DBS Emirates Hills.
“We have also secured a Dubai land plot to support our super-premium expansion and are in the process of acquiring another prestige location for the proposed Abu Dhabi campus,” said Williamson. “These strategic decisions have increased our overall capacity and diversified our educational offerings, maintaining Taaleem’s leadership in the UAE’s education market.
“Over the next two years, our plan is to add +6,000 seats while maximising utilisation across our premium and super-premium portfolios.”
