History

In September 1979, with the support of the British and Dutch Embassies in Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh Continental School was opened in a large villa in order to fulfil the educational needs of the local expatriate community.

In March 1981 the School was incorporated into the Saudi Arabian International Schools under arrangements made by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education. The School expanded rapidly from its original 212 pupils and in 1982 moved to another site in the Rawdah district.

The present purpose built Al Hamra Campus is situated within the south-eastern corner of Al Hamra Compound, near Exit 9 of the Airport/Al Kharj Highway, and was opened in September 1995. At the time, the school only catered for children up to Year 9, but in 2006 GCSE courses were introduced, and in 2008 A level courses were offered for the first time.

The Salwa satellite primary school, which caters for BAE families, is about 30km from the Al Hamra campus and was opened in 2007. Children at Salwa are enrolled as BISR students, and transition to Year 7 at our Al Hamra site is automatic.

In August 2020 Tabuk and Taif primary schools, catering for BAE families, joined the BISR family.

The Diplomatic Quarter Campus opened in Autumn 2020, initially catering for Primary School students from F1 to Year 6 and the Senior School and Sixth Form opened its doors in August 2022, and now is home to 800 students.