Riyadh school fees 2026–27: tuition, VAT and joining costs

The short version

The short version

The table compares five Riyadh schools with published fee information. For the listed middle-school bands, Reigate’s 2026–27 tuition is SAR 65,538 before VAT, or SAR 75,368.70 with 15% VAT. AIS-R’s secondary listing gives SAR 110,158 including VAT for Grades 6–8. These are tuition figures, not complete costs or a ranking of every school in the city.

Compare the same academic year, the child’s actual year group and the same VAT basis. Then separate additional joining charges from refundable deposits and payments credited to tuition. For a multi-year posting, account for changes in grade band, campus and any time-limited discount.

Reigate Years 7–9 tuition with VAT

SAR 75,369

Reigate Grammar Riyadh, Years 7-9 (2026/27 base SAR 65,538 + 15% VAT)

AIS-R Grades 6–8 listed tuition

SAR 110,158

AIS-R Grades 6-8 (2026/27, VAT-inclusive, aggregator-sourced)

AIS-R listed joining charges

SAR 40,212

AIS-R: application 5,027 + capital fee 18,221 + registration 16,964, one-time

VAT on tuition

15%

Non-Saudi families only; Saudi nationals exempt (ZATCA rule cited in school fee policies)

The numbers

Five Riyadh schools: tuition and joining charges

This table uses the schedules in the existing research and completed school profiles. It covers five schools, not every Riyadh profile. British years and American grades are not interchangeable; the school sets the placement. The tax column states how each figure is presented.

AIS-R’s figures come from International Schools Database; the school’s own schedule takes precedence. Downe House’s 2026–27 secondary range equals its 2025–26 base range plus VAT; the school has not announced a fee freeze, and it publishes ranges rather than a Year 7 band.

Beyond the table

Other Riyadh schools: published fee ranges

Several newer and lower-cost schools publish ranges rather than full schedules. These are annual tuition figures for the year shown; joining charges come on top.

• Advanced Learning Schools: secondary listings give SAR 61,000–75,000 for both 2025–26 and 2026–27 across its IB programmes.
• Aldenham Prep Riyadh: SAR 46,500–70,000 for 2026–27, ages 3–14.
• SEK Turtle Bay and Daraah: SAR 51,750 (Nursery) to SAR 80,500 (Grades 7–8) for 2025–26 including VAT, with founding-family discounts of 10–15% and a 3% single-payment discount. These apply to the two campuses named in the policy.
• Abdulaziz International Schools – Al Sulaimaniah (SABIS network): SAR 30,000 (Pre-KG) to SAR 46,000 (Grade 12) for 2025–26, excluding VAT.

What tuition leaves out

Additional costs, credits and refundable deposits

• VAT. School fee policies apply 15% VAT to tuition for non-Saudi families; Saudi nationals are exempt. Joining charges can be quoted on a different basis from tuition, so ask how each one is taxed for your family.
• Capital charges. BISR lists SAR 11,500 capital development plus SAR 11,500 registration at applicable campuses. AIS-R’s secondary listing gives SAR 18,221 capital and SAR 16,964 registration. King’s College states that it charges no capital fee.
• Re-enrolment and returning pupils. King’s College’s 2025–26 policy lists a 20% non-refundable re-enrolment payment credited against tuition. BISR charges registration again after an absence of three clear terms; this is not an annual charge for continuously enrolled pupils.
• Holding payments and deposits. Reigate’s SAR 5,000 holding payment is credited against the first term, while its SAR 500–2,000 book deposit is refundable subject to conditions and a three-month claim deadline. Administration and assessment charges are separate. A mathematics intervention is listed at SAR 5,333.33 per term; support requires an individual estimate.
• Examinations and payment terms. BISR passes external GCSE/A-level charges through at cost. King’s College’s older policy lists a SAR 2,000 monthly late charge. Annual-payment and sibling discounts have eligibility conditions, so leave them out of the budget until they appear on the invoice.
• Transport. Reigate describes an inter-campus sibling shuttle rather than home-to-school buses. Bus fees, where offered, depend on the route and are rarely in the headline tuition.

The regulator

Future fees and time-limited discounts

The planned Sedra campus has separate standard and founding-family schedules. Its advertised 15% reduction does not exactly reconcile with the endpoints in the published tables. Ask for a grade-specific quotation showing the reference fee, discount, tax and duration. The King’s College profile explains the campus plan and the unresolved fee details.

Worked examples

A three-year model and a first-year comparison

The BISR example starts with 2026–27 fees for two children and applies an illustrative 3% annual tuition increase. This is a budgeting assumption, not a forecast or city-wide norm. Both children remain within their original fee bands over the three years. Figures include VAT where applicable and exclude optional services, transport and examinations.

BISR: children entering Year 7 and Year 3. Published annual tuition is SAR 86,134 and SAR 78,414 respectively, totalling SAR 164,548. The example assumes both children incur all listed non-BAE joining charges and the family pays one resource deposit.

• Year 1: tuition SAR 164,548 plus SAR 49,450 joining charges gives SAR 213,998 before refundable deposits. Seat deposits of SAR 10,000 and one SAR 1,500 resource deposit bring initial cash payments to SAR 225,498. Tuition refund rights remain governed by the school agreement.
• Year 2, assuming a 3% rise: SAR 169,484.44 tuition. The children enter Years 8 and 4, remaining in the same bands.
• Year 3, assuming a further 3% rise: SAR 174,568.97 tuition. The children enter Years 9 and 5, still within those bands.
• Three-year model: approximately SAR 558,051 in tuition and joining charges, or SAR 569,551 paid including the refundable deposits. Transport, uniform, trips, examinations and support are excluded. Deposit recovery depends on meeting the school’s conditions.

King’s College Diriyah: children entering Year 7 and Year 3. The 2026–27 base tuition is SAR 72,290 plus SAR 63,750. With 15% VAT, that totals SAR 156,446. This example covers the first year only because the planned Sedra transition changes the basis of later-year pricing.

• First-year joining charges: SAR 500 application plus SAR 5,000 enrolment administration per child, excluding VAT. For two children with 15% VAT applied, this is SAR 12,650.
• First-year subtotal: SAR 169,096 for tuition and those joining charges, before other costs or any applicable discounts.
• Second and third years: later fees depend on each child’s campus allocation and grade band. The planned Sedra opening and Diriyah’s proposed return to primary provision mean that a simple 3% extension of the first-year figure is not a reliable school budget.
• Payment timing: if the older 20% re-enrolment rule remains applicable, that amount is an advance payment credited to tuition, not a second charge on top.

A useful budget separates total cost from payment timing. Credited deposits bring payments forward, while refundable deposits remain tied up until the school returns them. Future tuition depends on year-group progression, the campus used and the terms of any discount, as well as general fee changes.

For the offer letter

The HR negotiation checklist

• Define the allowance. State its currency, amount per child and whether VAT is included, and whether it adjusts when a child enters a higher fee band.
• List joining costs. Specify application, assessment, registration and capital charges, and identify which the employer covers. AIS-R’s listed joining charges total SAR 40,212 per child.
• Agree payment timing. If a credited re-enrolment payment is due before the allowance is reimbursed, agree who pays it initially.
• Assign responsibility for refunds. Clarify who receives refundable deposits and who submits the required withdrawal forms or claims.
• Include transport and support. State whether the allowance covers buses, other travel arrangements, examinations and an agreed learning-support package.
• Use the family-specific quotation. Base the allowance on the school’s written quotation for your children, which shows the VAT treatment of each charge.