Dhahran High School is the premier college prep high school in eastern Saudi Arabia, with an engaged staff committed to providing every student with a world-class college-prep education. At our school, we cater to the different cultures and the more than 40 nationalities represented on campus by blending the American curriculum with unique opportunities offered by living in the Arab world. We have a diverse student population with certified teaching staff that is predominantly from North America. Our student-teacher ratio is around 18:1. Dhahran High School is proud of its well-rounded, socially engaged students and welcomes you to come and discover what makes this one of the leading international schools in the Kingdom. We inspire innovation and compassionate action.
Dhahran High School follows the American Curriculum. DHS has adopted several curricula frameworks and standards from systems and best practices around the United States. Much emphasis has been placed on moving away from the traditional model of teaching from a textbook to designing courses based on standards. The backward model of course and unit design has brought many challenges for teachers but has shown to be more innovative in terms of moving to more student-centered classrooms focused on learner agency. Coupled with this have been newly adopted standards that have been carefully implemented to maximize professional learning and support.
The subjects DHS offers to their students are English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, Global Languages, Physical Education, Fine Arts, Technology, Health, and Electives. Each student must be enrolled in 16-semester classes and have a minimum total of credit of 24.0 (recommended 27.5) to graduate from DHS.
A required course to be taken by all students is the Saudi Ministry of Education (1-year course). This course fulfills the Ministry of Education requirement to provide conversational Arabic and designated cultural topics to fulfill a cultural awareness of the host country. Students enrolled in an Arabic Global Language course will not need to enroll in this course.
What makes Dhahran High School special? We are a multicultural, inclusive community of students, teachers, and parents, inspiring each other to learn, not only in the classroom but in the wider world. In addition to our core academic program, we embrace the arts, we celebrate our sporting successes and we strive to become respectful and caring world citizens.
One of the unique features of DHS is that we offer both an extensive variety of college-level Advanced Placement (AP) courses as well as the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP). Students can choose either of these options as their pathway to a successful college career.
DHS sets the bar high in terms of students' academic and extra-curricular achievements, something in which they all take pride. It is fair to say that they look forward to coming to school each day, to embracing the exceptional opportunities on offer in the classroom, in the laboratories, the art room, the music rooms, and on the sports field.
Teachers from Asia, Canada, Europe, South America, South Africa, and the United States converge and are committed to bringing out the best in our students, embracing and celebrating their successes and spurring them on to achieve their potential in whatever field they choose.
Dhahran High School offers three programs of study: The American curriculum college-preparatory program which offers over 60 courses including 10 courses at the honors level the Advanced Placement program which offers 21 AP courses 4 IB certificate courses and, the full IB Diploma Programme which offers 27 courses including Theory of Knowledge (TOK).
DHS provides a full American Curriculum for its students. We are pleased to offer both the International Baccalaureate Diploma and the Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma. Both programs provide rigorous programs of study for university-bound graduates. English is the language of instruction in all classes.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) was started in 1968 in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a two-year holistic program of study that incorporates six courses of study, as well as three courses known as the core. In these core courses, students study theory of knowledge, write a 4000-word extended essay and complete a program of creativity, activity, and service. The purpose of the program is to offer students a broad spectrum of coursework with high academic rigor, as well as a focus on character development, global-mindedness, and international perspective.
The AP Capstone program began in 2014 and was developed by the College Board to improve college readiness and critical thinking skills for university-bound students. Students earn an AP Capstone diploma by taking any four AP courses in addition to two required courses, AP Seminar, and AP Research. Students complete university-level coursework focused on content related to the student’s interests while developing their skills of research, critical thinking, and communication.
Both the IB Program and the AP Capstone programs are academically challenging courses of study and receive the “most demanding” classification from university admissions departments.
