Factors Influencing Saudi Parents’ Choice of International Schools in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Ministry of Education has recently begun to allow all Saudi families to enroll their children in international schools. The international curriculum offered by such schools represents a notably different choice compared with Saudi traditional public and private schools, both of which teach the same state-mandated curriculum. As a result of the change, there has been a surge in demand for international education; the number of schools has increased rapidly, and there has been a steady “student leak” towards them and away from traditional schools. Little is known about why Saudi parents choose to enroll their children in international schools. We explored this question by surveying 431 Saudi parents of children attending such schools to identify the main factors contributing to their choice. Although all factors examined were important to parents, curriculum and overall school quality emerged as the most important; socioeconomic status was not influential in their decisions.