As the formal diplomatic and commercial centre of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh has an excellent collection of private international schools aimed at appeasing expatriates insistent on an elevated standard of education. These schools have the potential to be exorbitantly priced and because expats do not have the option to enrol their children in the Saudi Arabian state school system there is often limited availability.

It is of the utmost importance to apply early. In some cases, as is with the British and American schools, preference is given to those of the designated nationality, but otherwise schools are for the most part non-selective.

A non-refundable application fee is a standard procedure for the most part, and some schools even require a seat deposit per student.