What International Schools in Saudi Arabia Are Really Like: A Parent’s On-the-Ground Guide
Last September, I stood outside the gate of my kids’ new international school in north Riyadh, my sandals sticking to still-warm tarmac at 7:30 a.m., my 10-year-old daughter Zara squeezing my hand so hard her nails left faint purple marks. She’d spent the whole week leading up to the first day asking the same three questions on loop: Would she have to pray five times a day? Would everyone make her wear an abaya to class? Would no one speak any English? I’d spent weeks scrolling old expat forums and conflicting travel blogs, and I didn’t have good answers for her. I only knew what I’d read: some said schools were rigid and culturally restrictive, others said they were just like any international school in Dubai or London. Now, six months in, I can tell you what the blogs never got around to saying.
I signed in at the security booth, got a temporary visitor sticker, and walked Zara to her classroom. The first thing I noticed was the noise: kids speaking English, Arabic, French, Tagalog, even Portuguese, all mixing together. The bulletin board had posters for the school’s upcoming Eid fair next to a poster for the fall production of Annie. There was a bin of spare hijabs for kids who forgot theirs, and a shelf of prayer mats by the door, but no one was pushing anyone to use them.
Most international schools in Saudi Arabia are concentrated in the big three cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar, and they cater mostly to expat families, though a growing number of local Saudi families choose them too. They follow the curriculum of their affiliated system: British, American, International Baccalaureate, even French and German curricula for expats from those countries. Ours follows the National Curriculum of England, and the day-to-day routine is pretty similar to what we had in Canada, where we moved from.
The biggest unspoken worry most foreign parents have is around religious and cultural requirements. The baseline rules are straightforward: Mandatory Arabic classes for every student, regardless of nationality. Islamic studies is mandatory for Muslim students, but non-Muslim students can opt out, and join a study hall or life skills class instead. Prayer time happens on campus, but non-Muslim kids aren’t required to join. Zara found that out the first day, and she immediately relaxed. She just stays in the classroom and reads her book while the Muslim kids go to the shared prayer hall.
I was surprised by how good the facilities are at most well-established international schools. Because temperatures hit over 100 degrees Fahrenheit for half the year, almost all schools have fully indoor gyms, swimming pools, and even indoor play areas for younger kids. Our school has a robotics lab, a fully stocked art studio, and after-school programs that range from horse riding to debate club. That’s not the case for every school, though: smaller schools in more remote areas don’t have that kind of budget, and extracurricular options can be pretty limited. If you’re moving to a smaller city, you’ll want to tour the campus and ask for a full list of activities before you enroll.
Zara struggled with mandatory Arabic class at first. The school mixes kids of all abilities to encourage peer learning, and she was the only one who’d never spoken a word of it before. She came home crying after the first test, saying she was the worst in the class. I emailed the head of languages, expecting to be told I’d have to pay for private after-school tutoring. Instead, she moved Zara to a 30-minute beginner group three times a week during the regular school day, no extra cost. Six months later, Zara still complains about Arabic homework every night, but she can now order our favorite chicken shawarma at the local restaurant entirely in Arabic, which she thinks is the coolest thing in the world. If you’re moving here with kids who don’t speak Arabic, ask the school what support they offer for new learners before you commit—most top schools have beginner programs built in, but smaller ones may not.
It’s not cheap. Tuition ranges from around 30,000 SAR (about $8,000) a year for younger grades at smaller schools, up to 90,000 SAR (almost $24,000) a year for upper grades at the top international schools. Most expat work packages include full tuition coverage, but if you’re paying out of pocket, it’s a major expense. I’ve also found that class sizes are a bit bigger than what I was used to back home: my 7-year-old son’s first grade class has 25 kids, compared to 18 at his old school. Every class has a full-time teaching assistant, though, so the student-teacher ratio still feels manageable.
At the parent coffee morning a few weeks in, I sat next to a Saudi mom named Nora whose two kids are in the same classes as mine. She told me she chose an international school because her family might move to Dubai in a few years for her husband’s job, and she wanted the kids on a curriculum that would transfer easily. She also prefers the way international schools teach, with more project-based work and less rote memorization than local public schools. For her, it’s not about leaving Saudi culture behind: the school celebrates every Saudi national holiday, and all the kids get to participate in parades and traditional food tastings. Expats are welcome to join, no pressure, and it’s been a nice way for our kids to learn about the country we live in.
This morning, I dropped the kids off at the gate, and Zara ran off immediately with Nora’s daughter, Lina, chattering about their science fair project on solar power that they’re presenting this week. I stood there for a minute, holding my cold coffee, and thought about how nervous I was before we moved. A lot of the information online makes international schools in Saudi Arabia sound like they’re either a restricted, culture-shock nightmare or a glossy, perfect expat bubble. Neither is true. It’s just school. My son complains that the outdoor playground is only open before 9 a.m. because it gets too hot after that. Zara still argues with me about doing Arabic homework. They’ve made friends from 15 different countries, they’ve tried new foods, they’ve learned more about living in a different culture than they ever would have back home. It’s not for every family, but if you’re considering it, know that it’s a lot more normal than you might think. Most days, it feels just like any other good school anywhere else.
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