Almost every Dubai community markets itself as family friendly, which makes the phrase useless. What separates them is what each one trades away, so this is organised by trade rather than by ranking.

Established and mature, but older stock

The Emirates Living communities: The Meadows, The Springs, The Lakes. Tree cover a newer community will not have for a decade, schools inside or beside the community, and a short drive to Downtown and the Marina. The trade is villa age: air conditioning, roofing and pool plant are the expensive items, and a survey earns its cost here.

Planned and predictable, but you pay for it

Dubai Hills Estate. The park, the golf course, the mall and the school sites were fixed before the buildings went up, so what sits behind you in five years is largely known. The trade is price per square foot, and competing supply at resale because Emaar keeps releasing into the same community. See Dubai Hills Estate.

Space and value, but distance

Arabian Ranches, Town Square, Damac Hills, Tilal Al Ghaf, The Valley. Bigger plots for the money and genuinely quiet. The trade is the commute, and it is the thing people underestimate most. Drive it at 7.45 on a weekday before you decide.

Central and walkable, but apartments

The Greens, City Walk, parts of Downtown. If you want to walk to a supermarket and a park and you can live without a garden, these work well for families and are consistently under considered. See The Greens.

How to actually choose

Start with the school, not the house. Get a place confirmed, then draw a sensible radius around it. This reverses how most families search and it saves the most pain.
Drive both commutes at rush hour, in the directions you would really travel.
Walk the community on a Friday evening and a Tuesday morning. They are different places.
Check what is still to be built, and where.
Get the service charge or community fee in writing and add it to your monthly figure before you compare two communities.

Tell us the school and the budget and we will tell you which two communities to look at rather than all twelve.