Saudi Arabia's new General Education Law: a guide for parents

Saudi Arabia has a new General Education Law. It was approved by Royal Decree No. M/36 and takes effect 180 days after its publication in Umm Al-Qura, the official gazette, on 24 July 2026, that is around 20 January 2027. This guide sets out, from the official texts, what changes for families whose children attend private schools, international schools included, and what you can check. It is a summary for families, not legal advice; the texts themselves are linked at the end.

• Published24 July 2026, in Umm Al-Qura
• In forceAround 20 January 2027
• Compulsory schoolingFrom age 6 to 15
• Private schoolsSchool accreditation required

The two texts

• The General Education Law, approved by Royal Decree No. M/36 of 27/1/1448 AH, following Council of Ministers Decision No. 103 of 22/1/1448 AH, and published on 24 July 2026. It has 68 articles. It sets up a General Education Affairs Council, chaired by the Minister of Education, which has exercised its powers since the law was published.
• The Regulation for Private Educational Institutions, issued under the law, approved by the General Education Affairs Council on 11 October 2026 and published on 30 October 2026. It takes effect on the same day as the law.

The Council of Ministers' decision also repeals older texts, among them the regulation for private schools and the regulation for foreign schools. Their provisions stay in force until the Council issues replacement provisions, for no more than one year after the law takes effect (items 4 and 5 of Council of Ministers Decision No. 103).

The English names of the law, the regulation and the bodies on this page are the school's own translation; the Arabic texts are the official ones.

What changes for families

Private schools must be accredited

Private educational institutions must obtain school accreditation from the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), or from one of the international bodies that ETEC approves (Article 30 of the law). The regulation adds that a school must keep that accreditation for as long as its licence runs (Article 13).

ETEC describes school accreditation as official recognition, granted by ETEC or by a body it licenses, that a school meets its conditions and standards, for a set period: full accreditation for five years, or conditional accreditation for two.

Schools also apply the national and international tests and measures that ETEC runs (Article 30 of the law).

Fees are announced early and in full

• A private school sets its own fees. A change for students already enrolled follows criteria the General Education Affairs Council approves (Article 35 of the law; Article 10 of the regulation).
• Fees, and the services they include, must be announced and registered on the Ministry of Education's electronic platform at least 180 days before the school year begins. A school whose first licence is issued after that point is exempt.
• Parents of enrolled students must be told of any change to fees at least 180 days before it applies.
• Every fee and amount a parent has to pay must be disclosed, and optional services, such as trips, visits and activities, are priced separately. A school may not charge an amount it has not disclosed, or make an optional service compulsory (Article 11 of the regulation).

Children are kept out of fee disputes

A student may not be drawn into claims or correspondence about fees owed by a parent. Nor may a school deny a student learning resources, or withhold results, because of a financial dispute with the parent; the school can still pursue what it is owed through legal channels (Article 12 of the regulation). The law also gives every student the right to receive the pass certificate after completing the school year, without restriction or condition (Article 38 of the law).

What a school must show you before you enrol

Before registration is completed or a contract is signed, a private school must let the parent see the information needed to decide (Article 19 of the regulation). At a minimum:

• the school's name, its licence number, and the licence's validity and category;
• its stages and programmes, the curricula it is licensed for, its educational model and its language of instruction;
• the school calendar, and the conditions and steps for admission;
• tuition and every compulsory fee, and enrichment activities and optional services with their prices;
• the policies on payment, withdrawal and refunds, and on attendance and discipline;
• how students are assessed and examined;
• the services and facilities available, and any support activities the school provides;
• the complaints and appeals policy.

Complaints have a deadline

A private school must publish a channel for complaints from students and parents, or use the Ministry's official channels, and decide a complaint within ten days. A parent can still take the complaint to the Ministry (Article 19 of the regulation). The Ministry may also publish each private school's level of compliance on its platform (Article 20 of the regulation).

Other provisions families ask about

• Stages. General education covers nursery, kindergarten and Grades 1 to 12. The law defines early childhood as running from nursery to the end of Grade 3 (Article 1).
• Compulsory schooling. From age 6 to age 15 (Article 4).
• Language. Arabic is the main language of general education. Teaching in an additional language is allowed under controls the Council approves (Article 5).
• National identity. Private schools teach the national identity subjects approved by the National Center for Curricula (Article 31). To be granted a licence, a school needs a study plan approved by the Center and a set plan for teaching those subjects (Article 6 of the regulation).
• International programmes. The Ministry approves international programmes in private schools, in agreement with the competent bodies, and oversees their requirements (Article 28). A school may teach the government curriculum, approved private, international or alternative curricula, or a combination, as its licence states (Article 4 of the regulation).
• Boys and girls. After early childhood, girls' schools are separate from boys' schools. This does not apply to private institutions, or to some of them, under controls the Council sets and the Council of Ministers approves (Article 6).
• Penalties. A private school that breaks the rules can face a warning, a stop on enrolling students, a fine of SAR 5,000 to 50,000, or cancellation of its licence, in which case the students already enrolled finish the school year at the owner's expense. When a violation is found, the Ministry works to ensure that students' education and rights are not affected (Articles 60 and 61).

What to check at any school

1. Its licence

   Ask for the licence number, how long it is valid, and the stages and curricula it covers.

2. Its accreditation

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

3. The full fee list

   Look for tuition, every compulsory fee, optional services with their prices, and the policies on payment, withdrawal and refunds.

4. Notice of fee changes

   A change for enrolled students has to be notified at least 180 days before it applies.

5. The complaints channel

   Find out where a complaint goes. The school has ten days to decide it, and the Ministry remains open to you.

What this means at Saud International Schools

What the school has published about itself:

• The school is accredited by Cognia, for both its American and its British pathways.
• The American pathway runs from KG 1 to Grade 12. The British pathway runs from Grade 7 to Grade 12, with exams from Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA.
• The school is a member of the Council of International Schools (CIS) and a College Board SAT test centre.
• Arabic and Islamic Studies are taught in line with Ministry of Education requirements, at every stage.
• Annual tuition for 2026–27 is published by grade, before VAT, and is the same for both pathways. School fees

For a question about how the new law applies at the school, contact the Admissions Office on 920002877 or at enquiries@sis.edu.sa.

Questions about the new law

Sources

All are official publications. The English on this page summarises them.

• The General Education Law, Umm Al-Qura, 24 July 2026
• Royal Decree No. M/36, Umm Al-Qura, 24 July 2026
• Council of Ministers Decision No. 103, Umm Al-Qura, 24 July 2026
• The Regulation for Private Educational Institutions, Umm Al-Qura, 30 October 2026
• Royal decree approving the General Education Law, Saudi Press Agency, 24 July 2026
• Definitions of school evaluation and accreditation, ETEC's Tamayuz platform, read on 14 November 2026

Checked against these texts on 14 November 2026.