Many families who live overseas tend to homeschool, but since patience fails to be a virtue of mine, I’m not ruling out other avenues of education. With such young kids, we haven’t thought much about their schooling options in Saudi yet – but the time will soon come. 📚
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The public school system in Saudi is free to all Saudis and residents, however it is gender-segregated, most instruction is in Arabic, and Islam is a core component of the curriculum. There are also private schools but they are majority Arabic and most follow the typical Saudi curriculum (heavy reliance on rote memorization). The third option is international schools. According to Wikipedia, there are at least 19 international schools in Jeddah alone. One of the top choices is the American International School (AISJ).
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AISJ hosts PreK – Grade 12 (not gender-segregated) on their campus, which is right next to the US Consulate and less than a 10 min drive from our house. As you can see in the pic, it’s fortified with a 30ft wall, cameras, and security. They have a little over 1000 students from 51 nationalities and American passport holders make up 20% of the student body (state.gov). Many Saudis attend as well. The campus is outfitted w/ libraries, auditorium, fitness facilities, etc.
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Their facilities may be fantastic, but let’s talk cost – the most prohibitive factor for expat families here. In 2019-20, pre-K cost $11,000/year and high school cost $22,133/year (aisj.edu.sa). Don’t forget the $4100 one-time enrollment fee. Oh, but if you have 2 children attend, the second one gets a 5% discount. How generous. 😳
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Now you can see, when expat children reach a certain age, families are often faced with the tough decision to: 1) homeschool, 2) fork over their life savings for an international school, or 3) return to the US for their education.
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As we consider where our boys will attend school, I would like them to have an American curriculum and opportunities to play sports and be in musicals, but should I just pray for patience and embark on homeschooling instead so we can save money for their college tuition rather than using it all up by 3rd grade?!
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