King Faisal School Review
The story so far...
Established in 1991, King Faisal School (KFS) was set up by the King Faisal Foundation (KFF), an international philanthropic organization established in 1976 by the sons of King Faisal with the mission of preserving and perpetuating King Faisal’s legacy.
The King Faisal Foundation, one of the largest charities in the world, has established its ‘pillar programmes’ focused on specific goals, including enhancing education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, enhancing scientific research, and enriching knowledge and rewarding scholars locally, regionally and globally.
King Faisal School was the first school in Saudi Arabia to offer all three International Baccalaureate programmes (an IB continuum school), and, together with the American diploma programme, educates over 2,000 students from the ages of 3 to 18. The IB Diploma or American Diploma programmes are accredited by the IBO and Cognia respectively and are recognised and accepted by universities around the globe.
The school has gender separate sections, with a pre-School for students in K1 to KG3, Primary sections from Grades 1 to 5 (though boys from Grades 1 to 3 are taught by female teachers managed by the Girls’ school administration), and separate Girls (from Grades 6 to 9, growing annually to Grade 12) and Boys (from Grades 6 to 12) Senior sections.
Each section of the school has its own Principal, leadership team and character, but the leadership aims to ensure that each section is very much part of one school offering a seamless and creative journey from entrance to graduation. Many current students are said to be the children of former students who have a life-long relationship and love of the school.
With a current cohort of approximately 2,100 students, these are made up of some 400 pre-school students, 800 Primary students, 700 Secondary students, and 200 Grade 11 and 12 students. The vast majority of students (95%) are Saudi nationals, with approximately 100 international passport holders.
The Vision of King Faisal School is “To be the premier school in KSA providing an all-round education with academic rigour at its core to a diverse and inclusive community.” Its Mission is “to develop young people through a rigorous national and international programme of study.”
The school motto is Faith, Knowledge, Work . With one eye on Vision 2030, a KFS education is designed to produce students who are fit to lead in a forward thinking and internationally minded community.
The school is led by Superintendent Mr. J. Martin McElhone who joined the school as Superintendent in 2017. Mr. McElhone spent eight years as a teacher in Jeddah early in his career. He subsequently relocated to New York where he gained his first Headship experience in an IB curriculum school, and thereafter worked in the UK including in London. These experiences confirmed his belief that “the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes offered at King Faisal School provide the premium education framework for hungry young minds.”
Mr. McElhone is supported at a senior level by the Principals of the Boys and Girls schools - Dr. Abdulrahman Kamal, Principal of King Faisal School Boys Section, and Mrs. Sadeem S. Alkadi, Girls' School Principal.
Details of staff numbers and their backgrounds are not provided but the school notes that its staff members are a diverse group of professionals who have brought best practices from around the globe to make sure that the learning environment is enriching, motivating and safe. Based on the current student numbers of 2,000, with average class sizes of 25, this suggests that the teaching faculty numbers approximately 100.
What about the curriculum?
Students follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme from pre-Primary to Grade 5, the Middle Years Programme from Grades 6 to 10 and the Diploma Programme from Grades 11 to 12. Students in the final two grades also have the option of taking an accredited American High School Diploma.
KFS seeks to ensure that students have a well-rounded education through which they are encouraged to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular, sporting, entrepreneurial and charitable activities.
It is evident that the school seeks to encourage committed and intellectually able students to join it. The demands of the IB Diploma programme, in particular, are viewed as being significant. The US Diploma potentially offers a less rigorous route to graduation and onwards to university.
The school says that its admissions process aims to integrate new students from different education systems in international and private schools. Prospective students take a simple admissions test to help the school understand how it can best meet their needs.
What about academic achievement?
Although the school does not publish its results (despite a link to a page on their website that does not function), it did note that in the summer of 2020, KFS celebrated a 92% pass rate in the International Baccalaureate Diploma exams, whilst other graduates celebrated success in the American Diploma.
WhichSchoolAdvisor always encourages school to publish their examination results in full. Although they are not, and should not be, the deciding factor in choosing a school, they do have an important influence on this choice for both parents and students.
According to the school, successful students have gone on to secure places at local and international universities to study a range of subjects including Medicine, Engineering and Business.
What about the Facilities?
The school has been refurbished in recent years and offers a modern, colourful and well-structured environment, with high quality resources and a range of facilities including a swimming pool, two large sports pitches and an indoor sports hall. It is located on a large green area in the heart of the Diplomatic Quarter.
The Buzz
King Faisal School, whilst largely intended for Saudi nationals, does offer admission for non-Saudi students and appears to have a very strong reputation on a campus with excellent facilities.
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What about the fees?
Tuition fees range from 45,000 SAR in Pre-School, to 60,000 SAR in Grades 1 -5, and Grades 6-9. Grade 10 fees are 62,500 SAR whilst those of Grades 11 and 12 are 67,500 SAR. Non-Saudi families will be required to pay a further 15% VAT on these figures.
The school also offers a scholarship programme, the benefits of which are not provided on their website, but the requirements include that the Applicant should:
- Be a Saudi national or legal resident of Saudi Arabia.
- Be of good character.
- Be a regular student of a Saudi school or a student of KFS.
- Have attained an ‘Excellent’ grade in the last three years prior to application with a GPA not less than 98% or 6/7 on the IB Scale.
- Be able to submit authenticated transcripts and GPA of the last three years.
- Have attained grade (1) in the basic courses (Arabic, Math, English) as per the progress evaluation system for the last school year, if applying for Grades 1 to 3.
- Not be on another scholarship program.
- Be physically fit with no learning disability.
- Attain an Excellent grade in the KFS Admission Test.
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