Vision 2030 initiatives are supporting private sector participation to increase the current private education enrolment from 17% to 25% in 2030*. The private K-12 sector expected to grow from $5 billion (USD) to $12.5 billion (USD) by 2030*.
Local and International investors have been interested in the market but have largely adopted a monitoring strategy until now. Incentivising Initiatives such as the Royal Commission of Riyadh City (RCRC) Super Licence (i.e. incentivize international school brands to enter in Riyadh) greatly enhanced viability for operators, and the number of international schools moving into Saudi is set to rapidly grow.
Engaging in a build-to-suit provides ground-breaking opportunities, given that the first international brands establishing in KSA have opened in refurbished MOE Schools. A focus on quality is also forcing the hand of some existing local operators which creates opportunity for investors in terms of school consolidation/platform growth.
* Emkan analysis