American International School of Riyadh

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia · Founded 1963 · Ages 3–18 · aisr.org

1,600

Students

65+

Nationalities

60+

Years Operating

130

Classrooms

100%

IB Pass Rate (2021)

Overview

Full Name	American International School of Riyadh (AISR)
Original Name	American Preparatory School (founded 1963 with 7 students)
Location	North Riyadh, Al Yasmin area (near airport, Riyadh Park, Riyadh Front)
Founded	1963
60th Anniversary	2023
Governance	Independent, non-profit, co-educational
Superintendent	Colin Boudreau (Canadian, joined 2021)
Grade Range	Pre-KG through Grade 12
Enrollment	1,550–1,650 students
Peak Enrollment	2,750 students (1984–85)
Nationalities	65+
Website	aisr.org (aisriyadh.org redirects)

Student Demographics

Total Students	1,550–1,650
Nationalities	65+
American	27%
Saudi	20%
Canadian	10%
Other	43%

History Timeline

1963
Founded as American Preparatory School with just 7 students

1965
Merged to form RICS

1977
Moved to south campus

1982
Renamed SAIS-R

1984–85
Peak enrollment: 2,750 students

1997
High school added

1999
Renamed AIS-R and IB Diploma Programme authorized

2002
First graduating class

2011
Eagle Honor Code established

2013
10-year NEASC/CIS re-accreditation

2014–15
New state-of-the-art campus opened

2017
CIS Global Citizenship Certification (May)

2020–21
COVID virtual learning

2021
5-year NEASC re-accreditation (January); 100% IB pass rate

2022
New strategic plan and mission

2023
60th anniversary

Academics

Curriculum	Enriched American curriculum (AERO, Common Core, NGSS, National Core Arts Standards, C3 for Social Studies)
IB Diploma Programme	Grades 11–12 — 100% pass rate in 2021 (highest in school history)
Languages — Mandatory	Arabic (for Saudi nationals + culture classes for all students)
Languages — Offered	French, Spanish ab initio
Faculty Qualifications	Highly qualified, many with Master’s degrees

Class Sizes by Grade

Pre-KG	16 students
KG1	18 students
KG2	20 students
Grade 1	21 students
Grade 2	22 students
Grades 3–5	23 students
Grades 6–12	24 students

College Destinations

Class of 2024–2025: 140+ graduates, 300+ university acceptances, over $5.5M in scholarships.

United States (58%)	Yale, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, MIT, Princeton
United Kingdom (28%)	UCL, Edinburgh, Manchester, King’s College London
Canada (10%)	McGill, University of Toronto, UBC
Middle East (2%)	Regional universities
Other (2%)	Various international destinations

Tuition & Fees

All amounts in SAR (Saudi Riyal). 1 SAR ≈ $0.27 USD. Saudi nationals pay 0% VAT; non-Saudi includes 15% VAT.

2025–2026 Tuition (Non-Saudi, including 15% VAT)

Grade Level	Tuition (SAR)
Early Years	63,163.75
KG2 to Grade 5	103,899.05
Grades 6–8	107,472.10
Grades 9–12	117,811.75

2025–2026 Tuition (Saudi Nationals, 0% VAT)

Grade Level	Tuition (SAR)
Early Years	54,925.00
KG2 to Grade 5	90,347.00
Grades 6–8	93,454.00
Grades 9–12	102,445.00

2026–2027 Tuition (Non-Saudi, including 15% VAT)

Grade Level	Tuition (SAR)
Early Years	64,743.85
KG2 to Grade 5	106,496.90
Grades 6–8	110,158.50
Grades 9–12	120,756.90

Additional Fees (Non-Saudi with VAT)

Application Fee	4,903.60
Registration Fee	16,550.80
Capital Fee (Pre-K to G8)	17,776.70
Capital Fee (G9 to G12)	25,745.05

Program-Specific Fees (Annual)

Learning Strategies	~10,390
ELL (English Language Learners)	~10,746
ALPS Arabic Program	7,503.75
IB (per course)	92 EUR

Campus & Facilities

AISR moved to its current state-of-the-art, purpose-built campus in 2014–2015, located in the Al Yasmin area of North Riyadh.

Academic Facilities

130 Classrooms
120 Interactive Flat Screens
12 Science Laboratories
5 STEM Laboratories
3 Technology Labs
1 Robotics Lab

Libraries & Learning

2 Learning Commons (combined 52,700 volumes)
Classroom collection: 36,000 volumes
Maker Space

Performance & Arts

700-seat Performing Arts Theatre
Black Box Theatre
News Broadcast Studio (ENN — Eagle News Network)

Sports Facilities

Basketball Courts
4 Tennis Courts
2 Air-Conditioned Gymnasia
Weight Room
Gymnastics Room
Soccer / Softball Fields
400-meter Track with high jump, long jump, and shot-put areas

Dining

2 Dining Halls
Eagles Nest Café

Outdoor & Special

Early Childhood Activity Centre
Purpose-built Outdoor Play Areas
Eagle Eco Center
Sustainable Garden

Sports & Athletics

Swimming Pool	None — no swimming pool on campus

Sports Offered

Basketball Volleyball Badminton Soccer Softball Tennis Athletics (Track & Field)

Leagues & Conferences

ISSL-R (local league)
SAIKAC (national conference)

Special Programs

Week Without Walls travel program

Extracurricular Activities

Student Council MUN (Model United Nations) TED Eagle Ambassadors Fine & Performing Arts Various Clubs

Leadership Team

Colin Boudreau (Canadian) joined as Superintendent in 2021. Previously Head of School at Benjamin Franklin International School Barcelona and 9 years at ASD (including HS Principal).

Name	Role
Colin Boudreau	Superintendent
Caroline Rennie	Associate Superintendent
Amanda Knight	Director of Teaching & Learning
Dr. Bob Cantwell	Director of Student Support
David Johnson	Director of Athletics
Georgina Schofield	Elementary School Principal
Ann Olsher	ES Associate Principal
Kevin Krembs	Middle School Principal
Jacqueline Whitney	MS Associate Principal
Justin Walsh	High School Principal
Chris Watson	HS Associate Principal — Dean of Students
Jason Crook	HS Associate Principal — IBDP Coordinator
Scott Barnwell	Director of Admissions
Elize Ramsay	Director of Finance
Ahmed Abdeltam	Director of Facilities
Maysa Johnson	Director of HR
Khalid Abdeltam	Director of Technology

Additional Identified Staff

Name	Role	Division
Travis Klump	Middle School Principal	Middle School
Nickolas Hironao Harris	IB Economics Teacher	High School
Sara Bjork	EAL & Learning Support Teacher	Middle School
Leena Salih	Humanities Teacher	—
Rabeea Shah	Staff (role unspecified)	—
Joelle Mikhael	Staff (role unspecified)	—

24 total staff identified. Gender: 54% Female (13), 46% Male (11). Sources: aisr.org, TheOrg.com, LinkedIn, Apify Google Search.

Faculty Demographics

United States	46%
Canadian	24%
United Kingdom / Australia	5%
Other	25%

87.5% of identified staff are of Western origin, reflecting the school’s American institutional character. Faculty are described as highly qualified with many holding Master’s degrees.

Accreditation & Memberships

NEASC	New England Association of Schools and Colleges — 10-year re-accreditation 2013, 5-year re-accreditation January 2021
CIS	Council of International Schools — accredited, with Global Citizenship Certification (May 2017)
IB World School	Authorized for IB Diploma Programme (since 1999)

Reviews & Reputation

Overall sentiment: Generally Positive but Mixed

WhichSchoolAdvisor

"Detailed positive review. Ultra-premium price band." — Strong academic reputation, state-of-the-art facilities.

iSchoolAdvisor

"Best school I have experienced in my 21 years as a parent."

Facebook

"Parents seeking feedback, generally positive responses."

Reddit (Mixed)

"4/10 from teacher perspective" — but praises the campus and facilities. One individual's experience, not representative of broader consensus.

Top Themes

Strong academics Beautiful campus State-of-the-art facilities

Concerns

Ultra-premium tuition (highest in the GCC research set)
Mixed individual teacher experiences

Red Flags & Considerations

No swimming pool Ultra-high tuition Virtual learning (March 2026) Reddit 4/10 teacher review

No Swimming Pool	Despite being one of the most expensive schools in the region, AISR has no swimming pool on campus. Swimming is a common offering at peer schools.
High Tuition	Ultra-premium price band (SAR 117,811 for G9-12 non-Saudi). Significantly higher than ASB and comparable to ASD when factoring in capital fees.
Virtual Learning	Currently on virtual learning (as of March 2026). Virtual until March 18, Eid break, campus reopens March 29, 2026.
Teacher Perspective	One Reddit review gave 4/10 from a teacher's perspective, though the reviewer praised the physical campus.

Current Status (March 2026)

Virtual Learning	Currently on virtual learning until March 18, 2026
Eid Break	Following virtual period
Campus Reopens	March 29, 2026
Admissions	Accepting 2026–2027 applications

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