Cities / Doha / Qatar International School
Qatar International School
One of Doha's oldest British schools, founded in 1977 and BSO-rated Outstanding (2020). Serving around 2,000 students from Early Years through Sixth Form on a central Al Dafna campus, with IGCSE and A-Level across the secondary school and accreditations from…
In brief
One of the first British international schools in Qatar, founded in 1977 by Sheikh Ali bin Ahmed bin Thani Al Thani and now around 2,000 students on its Al Dafna campus. BSO outstanding in every category in the 2020 and 2023 inspections.
Foundation Stage through Year 13, with Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel boards used through to IGCSE and A-Level. Mostly British teaching staff. The headline academic record since 2015 includes seven Best in World examination results across IGCSE and A-Level, and additional regional and national bests, which is unusual at this scale.
Parent voice is consistently strong on personal attention, teacher quality and academic trajectory. The school has the longest pedigree in Doha and the price point reflects that. Best fit for British-curriculum families who want the strongest external academic signal in the city. Waitlists are real, particularly for the September intake, so apply early and have a backup.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| KG1 | 3 | Annual | QAR 29,543 |
| KG2 | 4 | Annual | QAR 30,185 |
| Year 1 - Year 6 | 5 | Annual | QAR 31,435 |
| Year 7 - Year 9 | 11 | Annual | QAR 41,678 |
| Year 10 - Year 11 | 14 | Annual | QAR 49,628 |
| Year 12 - Year 13 (Sixth Form) | 16 | Annual | QAR 50,978 |
| Assessment fee | One-time | QAR 214 | |
| Registration (one-time) | One-time | QAR 3,213 |
Reviews
- A British-curriculum primary and secondary school in Al Dafna, founded 1977, with a UK-trained staff body and roughly 36k QAR fees in the upper school.
- Reddit teacher threads are split: one parent-side post describes the school as "reasonable price, all the teachers are from UK, very high standards," while a 2024 r/QatarCareers post said "stay away from qatar international school they don't treat their employees well."
- Teacher reviews and ISR flag heavy workloads, teachers being asked to cover library, French, PE and Qatar History, and salaries trailing competing Doha schools.
- One ex-student said they "really enjoyed" their four years at the school, and parents flag strong communication and friend-making as standout positives.
- Curriculum is described as British but using older versions, with limited teaching resources.
Head of school
Mr. Deane Baker
Deane Baker has over 22 years of senior school leadership experience in the UK and Middle East. His leadership was described as 'outstanding' by Ofsted in multiple inspections. He advises the Qatari Government on British Education and sits on the Executive Committee of the British Schools in the Middle East (BSME).
Accreditations
- British Schools Overseas (DfE) 01
- Council of International Schools 02
Academic results
- Result A-Level 44% A*-B
- Result AS Level 41% A-B
- Result IGCSE 40% 9-7/A*-A, 12% 9/A*, 85% 4/C or above (most recent results published 2026)