19 Most Expensive Schools in Egypt: 2016-2017 Edition

Unfortunately, a majority of Egyptians are under the misconception that paying more for schools means better education. That is definitely not the case. 

Wait, let me tell you about myself briefly so you don't think I'm making claims out of nowhere. I am currently 29 years old; starting from the age of 19, I got into the field of education as a high school teacher. I quit the job and gave up on it about two months back. The fact that I was able to be a full time teacher at that extremely young age kind of speaks loudly about the state of education in the country. I gave up on teaching because, no matter how hard one tries to turn it into a developing career here in Egypt, it will always just be a job that mostly pays really well.

The pricing of each of these schools is set in a way to compliment the superficial needs of parents more than the academic needs of students; tuition prices have little to do with the quality of education. The numbers you'll find in the list below are the raw tuition fees, not including admission, registration, bus, food, books, or supplies. I would say add 30 per cent to everything if you are a first-timer at any of these schools. There are also several other schools that should have made this list but their information was inaccessible - I tried everything!

I am not attempting to assess these schools on quality of education, but am just giving you some raw numbers that are scary.

Cairo American College (CAC)

Starting at KG for an insanely high $23,300 and going on to a slightly higher $24,000 for grade 12, CAC stands as the most expensive educational institution in the country. Calculating all 14 grade levels together you would be paying something in the range of $329,900 or 2,928,100 LE. Just imagine what it would cost in a few years if the dollar keeps spiking.

Malvern College Egypt (MCE)

KG starts at a whopping £9,500 and hits a high of £15,000 for grade 12, coming to a sum of £172,000 or 2,150,000 LE for all grade levels together. Yeah, and the funny thing is that I'd never even heard of this school prior to my research for this piece: well it is very new.

New Cairo British International School (NCBIS)

Hoping to send your kid to NCBIS? Well, sure, if you can afford £6,020 for KG and £11,024 for grade 12. That is a total of £139,703 or 1,746,287 LE. Lift your jaw back up!

Schutz American School (SAS)

Hello, Alexandrians; I did not forgot about you guys. At SAS you have to pay $10,100 for KG and $14,230 for grade 12, making it a total of $177,280 or 1,577,792 LE to send your kids through from KG to G12. Look at the bright side, at least you guys have a beach.

American International School in Egypt (AIS)

Well AIS has been getting so rich over the years that it has changed its main campus three times, and even opened up a second branch in 6^th of October. At least we know where the money is going when you pay $ 10,000 for KG and $13,000 for grade 12. The total becomes $168,900 or 1,503,210 LE for all 14 grade levels.

British International School in Cairo (BISC)

The ever so famous BISC; I bet you thought it would be higher on the list. Well, I am happy to be the one to surprise you. KG goes for £8,432 and grade 12 goes for £11,020, bringing you to a total of £119,214 or 1,490,474 LE - still a shitload of money.

Modern English School (MES)

MES is another very popular school that has a contrary effect to BISC. Most would expect that MES would be a little further down. Me too, to be honest. 45,000 LE for KG is not too bad in comparison, but 98,000 LE for grade 12 is just a criminal-like jump. The total from KG till 12 is 1,203,000 LE. Super yalahwy.

Metropolitan School

Metropolitan is one of the newest schools on the entire list, having only been in action for one academic year and open for students up until just grade 6. They start KG at 40,000 LE and the estimated calculation for a futuristic grade 12 would be 90,000 LE, making it into a total of 1,100,000 LE to send your kid all the way through. Is it just me or does the name kind of make you think Superman and Metropolis?

Cairo English School (CES)

Looks can be deceiving. If you ever just take a glance at the campus you would imagine this school to be part of the top three on this list. KG goes for £4,460, whereas  grade 12 jumps to £7180, making it a compiled total of £86,400 or 1,080,000 LE. Still crazy expensive.

British Colombia Canadian International School (BCCIS)

And I give to you the last of our top 10: a school that has recently become so popular amongst parents for some reason. KG is at 40,000 LE and grade 12 gets up to 90,000 LE, bringing us to an insane total of 1,065,000 LE.

Canadian International School in Egypt (CISE)

This Canadian follows its cousin on the list with a very slight difference between them both. With KG at 57,000 LE and grade 12 at 90,000 LE, the compiled number of all grade levels reaches an average of 972,000 LE.

Alsson International School

Another candidate that was expected to be higher on the list, especially with their new campus, Alsson’s American (most expensive) division has KG at 54,000 LE and grade 12 at 77,200 LE, making the compiled total 957,000 LE. *whispers sneakily* They call them selves Alssonians and they think they are just super awesome; whatever floats your boat ya habayby.

Hayah International Academy (HIA)

Fairly new on the market and recently very popular, Hayah is one of New Cairo’s newest schools that are difficult to get into. KG goes for 27,240 LE + $1,645, whereas grade 12 is at 52,075 LE + $3,135. The requirement of both currencies in payment is quite unique amongst schools; it is normally either or. If you take your kid to HIA, know that it would cost 914,192 LE for all grade levels combined.

The International School of Choueifat (ISC)

For some reason everyone has been expecting Choueifat to be all the way up on the list near CAC. Well, ISC was once one of the best schools in the country; as an experienced educator, I tell you that it is no longer what it was. Bye-bye, glory days. KG is at a surprising low of 39,000 LE and a grade 12 takes a high leap to the double at 80,000 LE. The estimated compilation of all years comes at 900,000 LE.

Narmer American College (NAC)

NAC is one of the oldest schools in the country. Narmer charges 44,000 LE for KG students and 76,000 LE for grade 12 students, creating a compiled total of 895,000 LE.

Lycee International Balzac (LIB)

For four years straight, I passed by this school twice a day every day. By just looking at it, I expected it to be the best French school in the country. Well after deliberation with some colleagues who are more experienced with French schools, I find that it is just one of the most expensive ones - not necessarily better than others. Charging in euros, KG comes in at €3,100 and grade 12 comes in at €6,575, making it a grand total of €82,365 or 833,533 LE for all 14 years.

Pakistan International School (PIS)

If you are surprised that there is a Pakistani school in Egypt, let me be the one to tell you that there are three Turkish schools around Egypt. I don’t like to work with stereotypes unless they are positive, Pakistani’s are known to be great educators, but for the sake of honesty, I do not know much about this school. At PIS (don’t laugh), KG costs $4,440 and grade 12 costs $8,880. The total comes in around $ 91,530 OR 814,617 LE.

El Gouna International School (GIS)

An international school at one of Egypt’s most popular vacation sites, GIS make the list with KG at 41,000 LE and grade 12 at 72,000 LE. Let’s do the math… that is a total of 786,000 LE for all years combined.

International School of Egypt (ISE)

Last, and actually least in terms of cash, we have ISE. With KG costing around 40,500 LE and grade 12 going for 64,900 LE, we have a total of 768,650 LE for all years.

Well, there you have it, people: some of the most expensive schools as of 2016. I just know this whole list will shuffle when I do the 2017 list for you guys next year. For all you lazy people out there who just skimmed through, check the following table: