Cities / Jeddah / Green Hills International School
Green Hills International School
An American-curriculum school operated by the Maarif for Education and Training network, sitting in the Al Khalidiyyah area of Jeddah. KG to Grade 12, with Cognia accreditation through the Maarif system.
In brief
An American-curriculum school operated by the Maarif for Education and Training network, sitting in the Al Khalidiyyah area of Jeddah. KG to Grade 12, with Cognia accreditation through the Maarif system.
Green Hills was founded in 1999 as Al Rawabi Al Khadraa, then rebranded under Maarif. Fees in the SAR 17,000 to 26,500 band put it in the affordable middle of the Jeddah market, well below the BISJ, AISJ, and JKS tier. Maarif itself runs a string of schools across Saudi Arabia and brings central admin, MAP testing, and PowerSchool reporting.
Families describe a structured American track with attentive teachers and twice-yearly MAP reports, plus per-trimester parent conferences. The student body is mostly local and regional, with English-medium delivery alongside Arabic and Islamic studies. Best fit for Saudi and Arab expat families wanting a Cognia-accredited American pathway at moderate fees, rather than the embassy-circuit international tier.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| KG 1 | 3 | SAR 17,650 |
| KG 2 | 4 | SAR 17,650 |
| KG 3 | 5 | SAR 17,650 |
| Grade 1 | 6 | SAR 20,000 |
| Grade 2 | 7 | SAR 20,000 |
| Grade 3 | 8 | SAR 20,000 |
| Grade 4 | 9 | SAR 23,500 |
| Grade 5 | 10 | SAR 23,500 |
| Grade 6 | 11 | SAR 23,500 |
| Grade 7 | 12 | SAR 25,900 |
| Grade 8 | 13 | SAR 25,900 |
| Grade 9 | 14 | SAR 26,500 |
| Grade 10 | 15 | SAR 26,500 |
| Grade 11 | 16 | SAR 26,500 |
| Grade 12 | 17 | SAR 26,500 |
Reviews
- Operated by Maarif Education, the same group that runs Manarat Jeddah; sits in the more affordable tier of Maarif schools rather than the flagship.
- A Jeddah parent thread in mid-2024 described it as a school with the same curriculum as Manarat Jeddah but cheaper, with plenty of activities and field trips.
- A separate parent comment from the same discussion a few weeks earlier was direct: a parent advised against the school. No detail given.
- One parent review describes a positive experience with supportive teachers and a well-rounded American curriculum; a Foursquare comment from a parent who withdrew their daughter cites poor teaching quality.
- Parent signal is thin and contradictory; nothing close to a clear consensus, and most independent voices are single comments rather than thread discussions.
Positives
- Activities and curriculum. American structure with KG-12 progression; activities and field trips called out as a strength.
Considerations
- Group context. Cheaper, less prestigious sibling to Manarat Jeddah within the Maarif Education group.
- Teaching quality. Online voices split: some parents satisfied, others left over what they describe as poor teaching.