Vision 2030 and Saudi schools: RHQ demand and new campuses

The short version

The short version

Three policies are reshaping international schooling in Saudi Arabia. The Regional Headquarters (RHQ) programme is pulling multinational staff and their families to Riyadh. The Royal Commission for Riyadh City’s international-schools attraction programme is bringing new operators to meet that demand. And a new General Education Law, gazetted in July 2026, tightens Ministry oversight of curricula, licensing and accreditation.

For a family, the result is more choice and more moving parts: new schools that are still adding year groups, campuses that are announced but not yet open, and remote project postings with their own schools. The useful distinction is between a school operating now for your child’s year group and one that is planned.

The engine

Why the RHQ programme drives school demand

Since 1 January 2024, foreign companies without a licensed regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia cannot bid on government contracts worth SAR 1 million or more, with documented exemptions. More than 600 RHQ licences had been issued by the end of Q2 2025, past the Vision 2030 target of 500, and a Q1 2026 market report puts the count above 780. About 90% of operating regional headquarters are in Riyadh.

A licence requires at least 15 full-time employees, including three C-level executives, within a year of licensing. Incentives include a 30-year exemption from corporate income tax and withholding tax on eligible activities, spousal work permits and a dependent age extended to 25. None of the RHQ provisions secures a school place or sets an education allowance; those come from the school and the employment contract.

Policy analysis has identified the quality and availability of international schools as a concern for companies asking senior staff to move. Our Riyadh relocation overview covers the schools, campuses and admissions in the capital.

The supply response

New schools and overseas partnerships

The Royal Commission programme, run with the Ministries of Investment and Education, has brought King’s College, Downe House, Aldenham, Beech Hall, SEK and One World International School to Riyadh. They do not all follow a British curriculum. Reigate Grammar Riyadh developed from the Multinational School, founded in 1998, reopened under ADECO in 2020 and rebranded in 2022. Sherborne opened in Jeddah in September 2025 through a Sharaka Education and Maarif partnership. Ellesmere College Riyadh opened in 2024; Aldenham’s KAFD campus and Malvern College Riyadh were announced for 2026 and 2027 respectively.

An overseas school partnership can involve a local operator, a licensed name and academic oversight, and the arrangements differ. The Saudi campus’s own staffing, leadership and inspection evidence is what describes the local provision. Three details deserve particular attention:

• Founding fees: discounts may be temporary or apply to particular cohorts. King’s College’s 2025/26 policy published fees discounted below those approved by the Ministry of Education, and its planned Sedra campus has a separate pricing structure.
• Operating year groups: King’s College extends through Year 8 in 2026/27. Sherborne Jeddah initially opened through Year 6. Ask where and how the next stage will be taught, and what the school offers if expansion is delayed.
• Local accountability: identify the operator, principal and the partner school’s role in oversight, and read the inspection evidence for the Saudi campus.

The regulatory frame

The 2026 General Education Law and school rules

A new General Education Law was approved by royal decree on 24 July 2026 and published in the Umm Al-Qura gazette, taking effect 180 days after publication. It establishes a General Education Affairs Council chaired by the Minister of Education, codifies licensing for private and virtual schools, requires accreditation through the Education and Training Evaluation Commission or an internationally recognised body, and lets private schools set and adjust fees according to criteria the Ministry establishes. Other reporting adds Ministry approval of international curricula, authority to set minimum teacher salaries in private schools and enforcement powers up to licence revocation, with implementing regulations still pending in August 2026. Until those regulations appear, each school’s current fee schedule and admissions policy are what govern a family’s place.

Existing rules still apply. The International Schools Regulations restrict the admission of Saudi students, with exceptions the Minister may approve; Saudi pupils do attend some schools covered in our profiles, including BISJ and Advanced Learning Schools. Ministry rules allow female teachers to teach boys and girls from kindergarten through Grade 6 in private and international schools. School fee policies apply 15% VAT to tuition for non-Saudi families.

The money

Fees and the employer allowance

Several newer schools launched with time-limited founding discounts, so later-year fees depend on when and how the discount ends. For current numbers, the Riyadh school fees guide compares tuition, VAT, joining charges and deposits school by school. If an employer provides an allowance, agree in writing whether it covers VAT, registration, capital charges, support and transport, and when reimbursement occurs. A residency arrangement does not come with a school place or discount.

The frontier

Schooling at remote project locations

NEOM Community School opened in 2021 to serve children of project employees. Early-2025 reporting described an EYFS-to-IB pathway, a reported enrolment above 1,000 and construction to expand across two campuses.

For postings linked to The Line, Oxagon, the Red Sea or Amaala, have the employer name the operating school available to your family and its location. KAUST has its own school community north of Jeddah, with separate eligibility. For any remote posting, agree an alternative if local provision cannot meet your child’s needs.

Practicalities

Girls’ and boys’ provision

Some international schools are co-educational throughout; others separate pupils at particular ages. Downe House Riyadh, opened in 2022, is co-educational from Nursery through Year 4 and girls-only from Year 5. Advanced Learning Schools separates girls and boys from Grade 4. Subject access, sports teams, swimming and trips can differ between sections, which matters most when siblings would attend different sections or schools.

Daily life

Compound versus city schooling

A compound shuttle or school bus may help, but its route, pickup time and after-school arrangements need to fit the family’s schedule. One employer-published Jeddah account describes children attending BISJ while living on a compound and using a hired driver.

Looking forward

Planning for later school years

Announced plans include Aldenham’s all-through KAFD school, Malvern College Riyadh and further growth at existing schools. King’s College’s Sedra campus is planned for August 2027, while Sherborne Jeddah opened with Pre-School through Year 6. A planned senior school is different from a senior programme already teaching the subjects your child needs.

For a multi-year move, ask what happens if a campus opening is delayed or a subject does not attract enough pupils to run. Examination-age children need a compatible programme, including subject choices and coursework arrangements. Younger children may also face a later campus transfer. Keep an alternative available until the school sets out a workable pathway in writing.