Cities / Doha / The International School of Choueifat - Doha
The International School of Choueifat - Doha
A large SABIS-system school in Legtaifiya, open since 1999, that delivers the Choueifat method strictly and produces the Choueifat result.
In brief
A large SABIS-system school in Legtaifiya, open since 1999, that delivers the Choueifat method strictly and produces the Choueifat result.
ISC-Doha runs the SABIS Educational System from KG to Grade 12 with around 2,500 students. The system is non-selective, English-medium, and structured around weekly testing, tightly scripted lesson plans and a leading IGCSE-aligned exam track. The first cohort graduated in 2003. Joseph Salemeh is the school director.
Parents who like it describe disciplined progress, clear feedback and strong maths and science outcomes at IGCSE. The consistent counter-thread is that the testing is relentless, that lessons are uniform across the network with little teacher latitude, and that creative subjects feel thin. Families choosing Choueifat usually go in clear-eyed about the model. Those who chafe at it leave within a year or two.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| KG1 | 3 | QAR 17,417 |
| KG2 | 4 | QAR 24,990 |
| Grades 1-6 | 6 | QAR 24,990 |
| Grades 7-9 | 12 | QAR 29,912 |
| Grades 10-12 | 15 | QAR 36,728 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Registration deposit | QAR 1,500 |
Reviews
A polarising school in Legtaifiya, and not in a quiet way. The SABIS system runs the building, which means quizzes four days a week, weekly subject exams, scripted lessons that look the same from one classroom to the next, and a flat ladder from KG1 to Grade 12 that ends in IGCSE and AS/A-Level. Graduates often say it left them well prepared for university, even comfortable with the pressure when they got there. They also say it left them socially flat, with little room for sport, the arts, or any version of school life that does not involve a desk. Fees sit at the affordable end of Doha's international market, and a 45,000 square metre campus carries a big enrolment, so a child who thrives on structure and repetition will get plenty of both. A child who needs creativity, individual pacing, or pastoral warmth is the one to think hard about.
Positives
- Academic preparation. Graduates consistently describe coming out well drilled for university work, with the constant testing cycle leaving them used to exam pressure by the time they get to a degree.
- Structure and predictability. The SABIS rhythm is the same every week and the same in every classroom. Children who like knowing exactly what comes next tend to settle in.
- Fees and continuity. Annual tuition runs roughly QAR 17,000 to 37,000 across the grades, low for a Doha international school, and the KG1 to Grade 12 ladder means no transition mid-way.
Considerations
- Testing intensity. Quizzes four days a week and a major exam most weeks. Former students describe it as gruelling, and parents talk about the pressure showing up even in the early primary years.
- Scripted teaching. The SABIS method runs on standardised lesson plans delivered the same way across the network. Teachers have little room to adapt, and individual pace inside class is limited.
- Beyond academics. Sport, the arts, and the wider co-curricular side sit well behind the academic timetable. Graduates often say they came out strong on exams and thin on everything else, including the social side.
- Teaching staff. Turnover comes up in conversation about the school, and parents flag that not every teacher arrives with a formal teaching qualification. The SABIS model leans on the system rather than the individual.
Leadership
Joseph Salemeh
Mr. Joseph Salemeh has served as School Director of The International School of Choueifat - Doha since the school opened in Qatar in September 1999, observing the institution's development across all dimensions over more than two decades. He emphasises the welcoming community where stakeholders collaborate to help students reach their potential, and takes pride in graduates becoming global ambassadors and responsible citizens prepared for SAT, IGCSE, AS and A-Levels.