Cities / Muscat / Al Sahwa Schools
Al Sahwa Schools
Muscat's only bilingual IB World School, running all three IB programmes from Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Shatti Al Qurum, founded in 1992 to develop Omani leaders. Al Sahwa was authorised to offer the full IB continuum and gained CIS accreditation in 2018.
In brief
Muscat's only bilingual IB World School, running all three IB programmes from Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Shatti Al Qurum, founded in 1992 to develop Omani leaders.
Al Sahwa was authorised to offer the full IB continuum and gained CIS accreditation in 2018. The school enrols around 1,100 students aged 4 to 18, with instruction in both English and Arabic. Annual fees of OMR 2,250 to 4,750 are notably more affordable than ABA or TAISM at the upper end. The mix is heavily Omani families wanting an IB pathway without losing Arabic strength, plus a smaller expat cohort.
Parents praise the maths and science teaching specifically and the holistic IB approach. Long-serving staff, a strong sense of community, and the bilingual design come up repeatedly as the school's distinctive offer. Al Sahwa is the obvious comparison point for any family weighing the IB Diploma against the Cambridge British schools, and a logical step down from ABA on fees while keeping the IB framework.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| KG1 | 4 | OMR 2,250 |
| KG2 | 5 | OMR 2,300 |
| Grade 1 | 6 | OMR 3,450 |
| Grade 2 | 7 | OMR 3,500 |
| Grade 3 | 8 | OMR 3,500 |
| Grade 4 | 9 | OMR 3,750 |
| Grade 5 | 10 | OMR 3,750 |
| Grade 6 (MYP1) | 11 | OMR 3,850 |
| Grade 7 (MYP2) | 12 | OMR 4,100 |
| Grade 8 (MYP3) | 13 | OMR 4,100 |
| Grade 9 (MYP4) | 14 | OMR 4,400 |
| Grade 10 (MYP5) | 15 | OMR 4,600 |
| Grade 11 (DP1) | 16 | OMR 4,750 |
| Grade 12 (DP2) | 17 | OMR 4,750 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| IB Programme Fee (KG-G5, annual) | OMR 35 | |
| IB Programme Fee (MYP1-4, annual) | OMR 50 | |
| Registration Fee (non-refundable) | OMR 200 |
Reviews
- Parent and student commentary is thin and split. No published parent reviews exist from the sources checked. The substantive signal sits on the international teachers circuit, where the picture is consistently negative.
- Teachers describe the school as a teacher graveyard with low staff morale and scrutiny of daily planning by multiple middle managers. One review noted parents largely avoid school engagement events. An earlier reviewer described the boys' campus as run-down with widespread non-completion of homework.
- An earlier 2011 teacher review was cautiously positive on the new admin team and decent housing and visa support. By 2015 a separate teacher was characterising the school as a third-tier Middle East option.
- Teachers in employment reviews echo the morale theme. Pay is described as acceptable on its own but not when benchmarked against other Oman international schools.
- Bilingual IB strand and Omani-rooted ethos are real differentiators. CIS accreditation arrived in 2018. The student body is described in older reviews as almost exclusively Omani national, which prospective expat families should weigh.
Positives
- Bilingual IB programme. Three-programme IB World School with bilingual Arabic-English instruction, Omani-rooted ethos and CIS accreditation since 2018.
Considerations
- Staff morale and management style. Teacher reviewers describe a teacher-graveyard atmosphere, planning scrutiny by multiple middle managers, and rampant distrust in primary.
- Boys' campus environment. An older teacher review described the boys' building as run-down with poor homework completion.
- Student body mix. Older reviews describe an almost exclusively Omani national student body; relevant for expat fit.
Leadership
Dylan Hughes
Dylan Hughes is the School Director at Al Sahwa Schools, leading a K-12 IB World School that emphasizes a bilingual education and the integration of Omani cultural heritage into its curriculum. He is committed to fostering a nurturing environment that promotes inquiry-based learning and the development of responsible global citizens.
Accreditations
- Council of International Schools 01
Academic results
- Result IB DP avg 32 points 2025
- Result GED 98.3% highest score 2025
- Result 75% students achieved 30+ IB points 2025