AMAALA, SAUDI ARABIA, 9 October 2026. SEK Education Group officially inaugurated Daraah International School on 2 September in AMAALA, the Red Sea Global destination in Saudi Arabia. The new school serves children aged 0 to 16, from nursery to the IB Middle Years Programme, with first students starting this September.
The opening ceremony included a symbolic ribbon cutting attended by representatives of Red Sea Global, SEK Education Group and the Saudi Ministry of Education. Daraah International School (DIS) has been developed together with Red Sea Global as part of the community being built at AMAALA, and it is designed for the families who live and work at the destination.
The school is a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme, subject to authorisation by the IB. Teaching follows SEK's own pedagogical model, the Intelligent Classroom, which combines active learning methods, flexible learning spaces and integrated technology. The curriculum gives particular weight to six areas: sustainability, marine sciences, artificial intelligence, wellness, entrepreneurship and the creative arts, a choice that reflects the school's coastal setting on the Red Sea.
"Education is an essential part of building a thriving community."
Nieves Segovia, President, SEK Education Group
John Pagano, Group CEO of Red Sea Global, framed the school as part of the community infrastructure at AMAALA, saying "we are building the services and infrastructure that make it a place people are proud to call home." The group already works with SEK at Turtle Bay Village, another Red Sea Global community, and SEK Education Group also runs international schools in Riyadh and Doha.
About Daraah International School
Daraah International School is a private international school in AMAALA, on Saudi Arabia's north-west Red Sea coast, operated by SEK Education Group, the Spanish education group behind the SEK International Schools network in Europe and the Middle East. It covers nursery to MYP for children aged 0 to 16 and is working towards IB authorisation for the PYP and MYP. You can see the rest of the network on the International School Advisor page for SEK International Schools.
What this means for families
Families relocating to the Red Sea projects now have an IB-oriented school on site rather than having to look to Jeddah or further afield. For parents moving with young children, the nursery to age 16 range means siblings can attend the same campus, and the IB candidacy gives a recognisable international framework for pupils who later move to schools elsewhere in the Gulf or in Europe.
Parents should ask the school about the timeline for IB authorisation, class sizes in the founding year and the options after age 16. To compare other schools across the Kingdom, see the International School Advisor ranking of the best international schools in Saudi Arabia.
