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International schools in Riyadh: a guide for parents

What an international school is in Saudi Arabia, the curricula you will meet, licensing and accreditation, Arabic and Islamic studies, fees and VAT.

An international school in Saudi Arabia is a private school, licensed by the Ministry of Education, that teaches an international curriculum, such as the American, British or International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, together with the national identity subjects, Islamic studies, Arabic and social sciences, that the National Center for Curricula approves. This guide sets out, from official sources, how these schools are licensed and accredited, the curricula you will meet, what they must teach, how fees and VAT work, and what to check before you enrol. The rules are national, so they apply in Riyadh as everywhere in the Kingdom.

  • Licensed byThe Ministry of Education
  • AccreditationRequired by the new law: ETEC or a body it approves
  • National identity subjectsIslamic studies, Arabic, social sciences
  • VAT on fees15%, borne by the state for Saudi citizens

What makes a school international

No one may open or run a private school in Saudi Arabia without a licence from the Ministry of Education. The licence names the school, its location, its stages and its type of education, and a school may teach the government curriculum, approved private, international or alternative curricula, or a combination of them (Article 4 of the Regulation for Private Educational Institutions). The Ministry approves the international programmes taught in private schools, in agreement with the competent bodies, and oversees their requirements (Article 28 of the General Education Law).

The Saudi national platform describes two kinds of school that families often call international: private and international schools, which the Ministry's private education office supervises for citizen and resident students, and foreign schools, which the Ministry licenses for expatriate communities so that their children can continue their education when they return home.

In Arabic, such schools are called مدارس عالمية, the word the national platform uses; مدارس دولية and مدارس انترناشونال mean the same.

The curricula you will meet

American

The United States has no single national curriculum: states, communities and schools develop curricula and set the requirements for graduation (US Department of Education). An American-curriculum school counts in Grades, from kindergarten to Grade 12, and ends with a high school diploma. Many offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses and prepare students for the SAT, both run by the College Board. See the American curriculum in Riyadh.

British

A British-curriculum school follows the shape of England's national curriculum, in Years and key stages (see school stages and grades). Students usually take IGCSE or International GCSE exams from about age 14, then AS and A Level from 16, set by exam boards such as Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA. See the British curriculum in Riyadh.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

The IB has four programmes: the Primary Years Programme for ages 3 to 12, the Middle Years Programme for 11 to 16, and the Diploma Programme and the Career-related Programme, both for 16 to 19. A school may offer one or more of them.

Other curricula

Foreign schools for expatriate communities teach so that students can carry on their education in their home country. A private school may also combine an international curriculum with the government one, as Article 4 of the regulation allows.

Arabic, Islamic studies and the national identity subjects

Private schools must teach the national identity subjects approved by the National Center for Curricula (Article 31 of the General Education Law). The Center's organisational arrangements name them: Islamic studies, Arabic language and social sciences, which the Center approves and reviews for private schools that teach international curricula and for foreign schools (Article 4, approved by Council of Ministers Decision No. 631 of 3/8/1445 AH). To be licensed, a school needs a study plan approved by the Center that sets out the national identity subjects and how they are taught (Article 6 of the regulation), and it must keep to them (Article 13).

The detail, such as which grades and how many lessons a week, is in each school's approved study plan. Ask the school to show you how it applies at your child's grade.

Can Saudi students attend an international school?

The national platform says the Ministry's private education office supervises private and international schools for citizen and resident students alike, while foreign schools are licensed to serve expatriate communities. ZATCA's rules also cover Saudi citizens at Ministry-accredited national and international schools (see the fees section below). Before you enrol, a school must let you see its licence number, its category and the curricula it is licensed for (Article 19 of the regulation), which is where you can confirm what it may teach.

Licensing and accreditation

Under the General Education Law, private schools must hold school accreditation from the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) or from an international body ETEC approves (Article 30), and keep it for as long as their licence runs (Article 13 of the regulation). The law takes effect 180 days after its publication on 24 July 2026, that is around 20 January 2027. Our guide explains what else it changes: Saudi Arabia's new General Education Law: a guide for parents.

How fees work

  • Published in advance. Each private school sets its own fees and must announce them, with the services they include, on the Ministry's platform at least 180 days before the school year. Parents of enrolled students must be told of any change at least 180 days before it applies (Article 10 of the regulation).
  • Disclosed in full. A school must disclose every fee a parent has to pay, price optional services such as trips and activities separately, and may not collect anything it has not disclosed (Article 11).
  • VAT. The standard rate in Saudi Arabia is 15%. For Saudi citizens, the state bears the VAT on fees at Ministry-accredited national and international schools, including the textbooks they sell, under Royal Decree No. A/86 of 18/4/1439 AH: ZATCA treats these fees as zero-rated, and the school records the citizen's national ID on the invoice. Fees for other students carry VAT at the standard rate.

What to ask: whether the fees you are quoted include VAT; which fees are compulsory besides tuition; the payment schedule; and the withdrawal and refund policy. Saud International Schools publishes its annual tuition by grade, before VAT: school fees.

What to check before you enrol

  1. The licence

    Its number, how long it is valid, its category, and the stages and curricula it covers.

  2. The accreditation

    Which body accredits the school, for what period, and whether that body is ETEC or one ETEC approves.

  3. The final qualification

    The certificate your child will finish with, and how the school prepares students for university. For a Saudi university, ask how the certificate is equated: the Ministry of Education runs a certificate equivalency service.

  4. The national identity subjects

    How Islamic studies, Arabic and social sciences are taught in your child's grade.

  5. The full fee list

    Tuition, every compulsory fee, optional services and their prices, and whether VAT is included.

Ten questions to put to any school, with what to look for in each answer: How to choose an international school in Riyadh.

Where Saud International Schools fits

What the school has published about itself:

  • An international school in Hittin, north Riyadh, founded in 1981 and part of Al-Awael Educational Company.
  • KG 1 to Grade 12 in two pathways. The American pathway runs from KG 1 to Grade 12 and leads to the American High School Diploma, with AP courses. The British pathway runs from Grade 7 to Grade 12: Cambridge Checkpoint in Grade 8, IGCSE in Grades 9 and 10, and AS and A Level in Grades 11 and 12, with Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA.
  • Accredited by Cognia, for both pathways; a member of the Council of International Schools (CIS); a College Board SAT test centre.
  • Arabic and Islamic Studies are taught in line with Ministry of Education requirements, at every stage, with Islamic Studies for Muslim students.
  • Annual tuition for 2026–27 is published by grade, before VAT, and is the same for both pathways: SAR 40,000 to 58,000.

Book a visit · Apply now · Admissions Office: 920002877, enquiries@sis.edu.sa

Questions about international schools

What is an international school in Saudi Arabia?

A private school, licensed by the Ministry of Education, that teaches an international curriculum, such as the American, British or IB curriculum, together with the national identity subjects approved by the National Center for Curricula: Islamic studies, Arabic and social sciences.

Which curricula do international schools in Riyadh teach?

They include the American curriculum, which ends with a high school diploma and often AP courses; the British curriculum, with IGCSE and A Level exams; and the International Baccalaureate, whose programmes run from age 3 to 19. Foreign schools for expatriate communities teach so that students can continue their education in their home country.

Do international schools have to teach Arabic and Islamic studies?

Private schools must teach the national identity subjects approved by the National Center for Curricula (Article 31 of the General Education Law). The Center's organisational arrangements name them as Islamic studies, Arabic language and social sciences, for private schools that teach international curricula and for foreign schools. Each school's approved study plan sets out how they are taught.

Can Saudi students attend international schools?

The Saudi national platform says the Ministry's private education office supervises private and international schools for citizen and resident students alike; foreign schools are licensed for expatriate communities. Before you enrol, a school must let you see its licence, its category and the curricula it is licensed for (Article 19 of the Regulation for Private Educational Institutions).

Do international schools have to be accredited?

Yes. The General Education Law requires private schools to hold school accreditation from the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) or from an international body ETEC approves (Article 30), and the regulation requires them to keep it (Article 13). The law takes effect around 20 January 2027.

Is VAT charged on international school fees?

The standard VAT rate in Saudi Arabia is 15%. For Saudi citizens, the state bears the VAT on fees at Ministry-accredited national and international schools, under Royal Decree No. A/86; fees for other students carry VAT. Ask whether the fees you are quoted include it. Saud International Schools publishes its fees before VAT.

What is the difference between an international school and a foreign school?

The national platform describes foreign schools as schools the Ministry licenses for expatriate communities, so that their children can continue their education when they return home, and private and international schools as schools its private education office supervises for citizen and resident students. A school's licence states its category and the curricula it may teach.

What does Saud International Schools teach?

Two pathways in Hittin, north Riyadh: American from KG 1 to Grade 12, leading to the American High School Diploma with AP courses, and British from Grade 7 to Grade 12, with IGCSE and AS and A Level. The school is accredited by Cognia, for both pathways, and teaches Arabic and Islamic Studies in line with Ministry of Education requirements at every stage.

Sources

The rules on this page come from official publications. The English summarises them; the Arabic texts are the official ones.

Checked against these sources on 15 November 2026.