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Qatar Academy Doha
Qatar Foundation's flagship IB school in Education City, running Early Education through Grade 12 across 30 years. Selective admissions, triple accredited (IB, CIS, NEASC), with an Olympic 50m pool, four football pitches, and direct access to the QF university and…
In brief
The flagship school of Qatar Foundation, founded in 1995 and now around 1,900 students in Education City. Full IB continuum from PYP through MYP to Diploma, with NEASC and CIS accreditation alongside QNSA.
Over 80 percent of students are Qatari, which makes this distinct from the more expat-heavy international schools. Fees sit at the upper end of the Doha market. The diploma cohort runs through Qatar Academy High School with multiple pathways depending on student interests. Mehdi Benchaabane leads the school.
Parents who fit the profile praise the academic ambition, the IB continuum and the proximity to the Education City university campuses. The harder feedback is about a culture where some staff describe parental and student expectations as demanding, and about pressure on grades. Best fit for Qatari families and for expat families with strong English language support at home who want a settled IB route to international universities. Less obvious for newly arrived English-only expat families who would be in the minority.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS3 - PS4 (Early Education) | 2 | Annual | QAR 46,033 |
| KG - Grade 5 | 5 | Annual | QAR 52,656 |
| Grade 6 - Grade 10 | 11 | Annual | QAR 65,967 |
| Grade 11 - Grade 12 | 16 | Annual | QAR 74,556 |
| Application fee (non-refundable) | One-time | QAR 500 | |
| Educational resources fee (per year) | One-time | QAR 1,000 | |
| Technology fee (per year) | One-time | QAR 2,000 | |
| Registration fee (one-time) | One-time | QAR 3,000 |
Reviews
- The Qatar Foundation flagship school in Education City, mentioned often and r/Internationalteachers as a default reference point for Doha schooling.
- Parents and students on iSchoolAdvisor leave uniformly 5-star reviews on a small pool; one ex-student called it "the best school in the world."
- Teacher commentary is more mixed, flagging grade inflation and the school accepting Qatari students whenever a place opens irrespective of test scores.
- One teacher on a review forum said pay differs depending on when staff were hired, and described the school as having "undergone tremendous growth and expanded far too quickly."
- Resourcing and Arabic-curriculum strength come through positively across both threads.
Head of school
Mehdi Benchaabane
Mehdi Benchaabane is the Director of Qatar Academy Doha and Executive Director of Qatar Foundation IB Schools. He has over a decade of leadership experience within Qatar Foundation, previously serving as Director of Education City High School and the Education Development Institute. He has extensively worked in IB schools across Egypt and Canada and served as an IB Deputy Chief Examiner and workshop leader. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master's in International Education from the University of Bath, where he is also pursuing a Doctorate in Education focused on student behavior policy.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges 02
- QATAR_MOEHE 03
Academic results
- IB DP 62 of 87 diploma students passed (71%) with an average score not specified, but the highest score was 37/45 in May 2022
- 47 students were awarded a bilingual diploma. MYP Personal Project school average 4.88 vs world average 4.23 (2022). 2023 exam results were not available in the latest published annual report (July 2023 release for May 2023 exams was pending).