Cities / Kuwait City / Kuwait English School
Kuwait English School
KES is a long-established British-curriculum school in Salwa, founded in 1978 and serving approximately 2,500 students from 60 nationalities across KG to Year 13. The school holds BSME and BSO accreditation, operates Kuwait's first Google Reference School, and runs a…
In brief
A long-established British school in Salwa, founded in 1978 and one of the larger British options in Kuwait. Strong academics, BSO Outstanding rating, broad mix of nationalities.
KES runs the English National Curriculum from age 3 to 18, with around 2,500 students. Accreditations include CIS, NEASC, BSME and BSO. IGCSE pass rates run in the mid-90s and A Level pass rates near the top of the British schools in Kuwait. Class sizes are around 28 in lower years, dropping to 25 or fewer from Year 9.
Roughly half the roll is Kuwaiti, with the rest a mix of Western and Arab expat families. KES was the first school in the Middle East to roll out Google Chromebooks and runs strong music and swimming programmes on a campus with an indoor pool. The administration is approachable, and complaints cluster around teaching quality varying year to year and pressure on space at the Salwa campus. For families wanting an established British school with real academic results and a properly mixed student body, KES is a default pick in Kuwait.
Fees
| Fee | Age | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Years KG | 3 | Annual | KWD 1,778 |
| Early Years Reception | 5 | Annual | KWD 2,877 |
| Primary Years 1-2 | 6 | Annual | KWD 2,877 |
| Primary Years 3-6 | 8 | Annual | KWD 3,274 |
| Secondary Years 7-9 | 11 | Annual | KWD 3,670 |
| Secondary Years 10-11 | 14 | Annual | KWD 3,670 |
| AS-A Level Years 12-13 | 16 | Annual | KWD 4,800 |
| Registration / Re-enrollment fee (non-refundable) | One-time | KWD 100 |
Reviews
- One of the long-standing British-curriculum schools in Kuwait alongside BSK and NES; Reddit's r/Kuwait thread regulars routinely list KES in the same bracket.
- Reputation has slipped. Multiple Reddit comments flag a management change, departing teachers and "the fall of KES"; one teacher said in early 2025 that with KES in decline there is no Kuwait school worth moving for.
- Academic results stay strong: a 98% A-level pass rate and 95% IGCSE pass rate, with English and maths flagged as particularly good. KES sends graduates to Ivy League and other US universities.
- Discipline and pastoral care draw the sharpest criticism. Ex-students describe teachers ignoring bullying, racist remarks aimed at Kuwaiti and other Middle Eastern pupils, weak mental-health support, and one Reddit submission asked whether other former students recalled a teacher hired after being expelled in the UK for inappropriate messages to pupils.
- Sixth-form A-level uncertainty, last-minute exam-board changes and weak art and music provision recur as criticisms.
- Some current parents still rate it well: one commenters said their children had been at KES across multiple stages and on balance it was the best of the options they had tried.
Head of school
Mr. Michael Hassan
Mr. Hansen is a well-qualified and experienced British educator and leader, who has held leadership posts in prestigious British schools in Bangladesh, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai. He has established himself as a foremost learning and teaching expert, implementing innovative programmes and systems that have had a lasting impact on learning and teaching.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges 02
- COBIS Patron's Accreditation and Compliance 03
- British Schools in the Middle East accreditation 04
- British Schools Overseas (DfE) 05
Academic results
- IGCSE A*-A 2023 40%
- IGCSE A-C 2023 76%
- IGCSE A*-G 2023 96%
- A Level A 2023 56%
- A Level A-C 2023 91%
- A Level A*-E 2023 100%