Secondary and sixth form tuition at Riyadh international schools runs roughly SAR 15,000 to SAR 105,000 per year in 2026. Premium English medium and IB or American schools sit at about SAR 75,000 to 105,000 (USD 20,000 to 28,000), the upper mid tier at SAR 50,000 to 75,000, the mid tier at SAR 30,000 to 50,000, and value schools below that. Secondary is where fees peak, so the headline numbers in our Riyadh international school fees guide reflect this stage closely. The fuller Riyadh city guide covers schools, neighbourhoods and admissions in detail.
Riyadh has one of the fastest growing expat school markets in the Gulf, driven by Vision 2030 capacity expansion and a wave of new premium campuses. The secondary fee spread is wide: a flagship sixth form place above SAR 100,000 sits alongside capable mid tier schools at less than half that figure. At senior level the difference is mostly the breadth of IB Diploma and A Level or Advanced Placement subject choice, faculty depth and the strength of university counselling, rather than the basic quality of teaching. Many families rely on an employer education allowance, so the secondary fee level often decides whether that allowance stretches to a premium place or a strong mid tier one, which makes the gap central to the relocation budget.
The bands below are tuition only and are taken directly from the tier structure in our Riyadh fees guide, with secondary placed at the upper part of each school's range. Treat them as planning ranges. The exact fee depends on the school, the year group and whether the child is in lower secondary, the IGCSE years or the sixth form.
| Tier | Annual tuition (SAR) | Annual tuition (USD) | Illustrative schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | SAR 75,000 - 105,000 | USD 20,000 - 28,000 | American International School Riyadh, British International School Riyadh, Multinational School Riyadh |
| Upper mid | SAR 50,000 - 75,000 | USD 13,300 - 20,000 | Established British and IB schools and newer Vision 2030 campuses |
| Mid | SAR 30,000 - 50,000 | USD 8,000 - 13,300 | Cambridge schools and smaller English medium internationals |
| Value | SAR 15,000 - 30,000 | USD 4,000 - 8,000 | Indian and other national curriculum community schools |
School names indicate the fee tier and are illustrative, not a ranking. The Saudi riyal is pegged to the US dollar at roughly 3.75, so USD paid families carry no currency risk on these fees. The final sixth form year is the highest published fee at almost every Riyadh school, so a family entering at Year 7 should budget for a rising tuition line across the secondary phase rather than a flat number.
Model sixth form tuition against the full cost of a place across up to three schools and other stages.
Three things move the senior number in Riyadh. The first is the year group, since the IGCSE and A Level years and the IB Diploma or Advanced Placement sixth form sit at the top of every school's scale and the final year is invariably the dearest place in the building. The second is curriculum and provider, where the established American and British schools cluster at the premium end and several new Vision 2030 era campuses have entered at high price points. The third is capacity and demand: rapid expansion has added places, but the most sought after schools still run waiting lists, which keeps premium fees firm. Budget at least 5 percent annual inflation, and check that any employer education allowance carries an indexation clause.
Headline tuition is only part of the picture, and the senior years carry the heaviest add ons. The lines to plan for are registration and re-registration deposits of SAR 2,000 to 6,000, school bus at SAR 7,000 to 13,000 per year, which is near essential given Riyadh distances, uniform at SAR 1,500 to 3,500, an iPad or laptop programme, residential trips at SAR 3,500 to 9,000, and external exam entries at SAR 4,500 to 8,500 in the IGCSE, A Level and IB years. Our Riyadh fees guide sets out the line items in full, and the relocation cost calculator places them inside a complete family budget. To weigh Riyadh against another posting, the fee comparison tool models several cities at once. For parent perspectives on local schools, see our Riyadh school reviews hub.
Secondary and sixth form tuition runs roughly SAR 15,000 to SAR 105,000 per year in 2026. Premium American and IB schools sit at about SAR 75,000 to 105,000 (USD 20,000 to 28,000), the upper mid tier at SAR 50,000 to 75,000, and the mid tier at SAR 30,000 to 50,000.
Yes. Secondary tuition is consistently higher than primary at the same school, and the IB Diploma, A Level or Advanced Placement sixth form carries the highest published fee of all. The gap between the start of secondary and the final year at a premium school is often SAR 15,000 to 25,000 per year.
Expect registration and re-registration deposits of SAR 2,000 to 6,000, school bus of SAR 7,000 to 13,000 per year, uniform of SAR 1,500 to 3,500, a device programme, and external exam entries of SAR 4,500 to 8,500 in the IGCSE, A Level and IB years.
Most premium schools run a full secondary and sixth form, including the American International School Riyadh, the British International School Riyadh and the Multinational School Riyadh, alongside many strong mid tier Cambridge and IB schools. The named schools are illustrative of the tier rather than a ranking.
Weekly fee analysis and city by city true cost intelligence for 50+ destinations.