50 education & training companies in Riyadh ranked by 1-year headcount growth. The top 10 are free below, each with a short data note. The full ranked list of 50 is a CSV + Excel download.
Edition October 2026 · updated 2026-10-09 · source: licensed B2B firmographic and technographic data
Key numbers
- Median 1-year headcount growth: 13.9% across 50 companies (range 1.8% to 73.9%). 0 of 50 at least doubled their headcount.
- Size mix: 10–19 employees: 3, 20–49 employees: 9, 50–99 employees: 13, 100–249 employees: 14, 250–499 employees: 10, 500–999 employees: 1. The most common band is 100–249 (28%).
- Main sub-industries: K-12 Schools (27), Training (15), Colleges & Universities (8).
- Largest company on the list: College of Medicine (500–999 employees, 24.3% growth). 12 of 50 have fewer than 50 employees.
- Versus the whole October 2026 dataset (3246 companies), this page's median is lower: 13.9% vs 22.1%.
- Same sector by city (median growth): Abu Dhabi 22.9% (n=50), Doha 16.6% (n=50), Dubai 40.8% (n=50), Riyadh 13.9% (n=50), Sharjah 16.1% (n=39), Jeddah 11.7% (n=29), Muscat 9.2% (n=29), Kuwait City 17.5% (n=22), Dammam 19.4% (n=12), Manama 11.5% (n=11).
- Same location by sector (median growth): IT services & software 42.9% (n=51), construction 36.0% (n=50), manufacturing 32.3% (n=50), professional services 31.5% (n=51), retail & e-commerce 29.7% (n=50), facilities management & cleaning 21.0% (n=15), real estate 16.0% (n=23), freight & logistics 15.3% (n=28), education & training 13.9% (n=50), hospitality & restaurant 12.8% (n=30), marketing & advertising agency 11.8% (n=47), healthcare & clinic 9.6% (n=15).
Top 10 by headcount growth
| # | Company | Industry | Size band | 1-yr growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Educational Age International Schools | K-12 Schools | 50–99 | 73.9% |
| 2 | sinwan International Schools | K-12 Schools | 100–249 | 54.0% |
| 3 | DPS Riyadh | K-12 Schools | 100–249 | 50.0% |
| 4 | Technical and Vocational Training | Training | 50–99 | 47.9% |
| 5 | SEK International School Riyadh | K-12 Schools | 10–19 | 44.0% |
| 6 | Faheem | Training | 10–19 | 43.8% |
| 7 | Misk Schools | K-12 Schools | 100–249 | 39.7% |
| 8 | Watan First Institute | Training | 50–99 | 37.5% |
| 9 | Artal | K-12 Schools | 50–99 | 35.8% |
| 10 | King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language | Training | 50–99 | 34.9% |
| + 40 more companies, ranked 11–50, in the full list | ||||
#1 Educational Age International Schools
Headcount grew 73.9% in 12 months, 5.3× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #1 of 13 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: K-12 Schools; revenue band $25M-$50M.
#2 sinwan International Schools
Headcount grew 54.0% in 12 months, 3.9× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #1 of 14 companies here in the 100–249-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: K-12 Schools; revenue band $5M-$10M.
#3 DPS Riyadh
Headcount grew 50.0% in 12 months, 3.6× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #2 of 14 companies here in the 100–249-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: K-12 Schools; revenue band $5M-$10M.
#4 Technical and Vocational Training
Headcount grew 47.9% in 12 months, 3.4× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #2 of 13 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: Training; revenue band $25M-$50M.
#5 SEK International School Riyadh
Headcount grew 44.0% in 12 months, 3.2× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #1 of 3 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: K-12 Schools; revenue band $10M-$25M.
#6 Faheem
Headcount grew 43.8% in 12 months, 3.1× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #2 of 3 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: Training; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#7 Misk Schools
Headcount grew 39.7% in 12 months, 2.8× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #3 of 14 companies here in the 100–249-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: K-12 Schools; revenue band $25M-$50M.
#8 Watan First Institute
Headcount grew 37.5% in 12 months, 2.7× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #3 of 13 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: Training; revenue band $10M-$25M.
#9 Artal
Headcount grew 35.8% in 12 months, 2.6× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #4 of 13 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: K-12 Schools; revenue band $25M-$50M.
#10 King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language
Headcount grew 34.9% in 12 months, 2.5× this ranking's median of 13.9%, #5 of 13 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; primary sub-industry: Training; revenue band $10M-$25M.
Get the full list
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Methodology
Source: licensed B2B firmographic and technographic data, pulled 9 Oct 2026; page updated 2026-10-09. Scope: companies headquartered in the city with 10–500 employees and at least 10 data profiles; the top 50 by 1-year headcount growth per industry, after removing likely local branches of foreign or 1,000+ staff groups; companies with zero or negative growth are left out. Growth is the modelled change in the company's own employee count over the last 12 months; values above 200% are labelled estimated because they come from small headcounts. Location is the company's headquarters city; firms headquartered elsewhere with large local offices are not included, and likely local branches of foreign or 1,000+ staff groups were removed by a name/website rule that can miss some branches. Some companies are local branches of larger groups; the size band is for the local entity. Figures move between monthly editions. Company-level data only: no personal names, emails or phone numbers.
We publish a ranking only when at least 15 companies qualify, and skip a page when its top 10 would repeat another page.
FAQ
- Which education & training company in Riyadh grew fastest this year?
- In the October 2026 edition, Educational Age International Schools ranks first with 73.9% 1-year headcount growth, followed by sinwan International Schools (54.0%) and DPS Riyadh (50.0%).
- How fast are education & training SMBs in Riyadh growing?
- The median company on this list grew headcount by 13.9% in 12 months. This is a list of fast growers, not a sector average.
- What does "growth" mean here?
- The change in the company's own employee count over the last 12 months, modelled from licensed B2B firmographic data. It is not revenue growth and not a count of open vacancies.
- Why do some figures say "estimated"?
- Growth above 200% usually comes from a small starting headcount, so a few hires move the percentage a lot. We keep these companies but label the figure.
- What is in the paid list?
- All 50 companies on this page with website, city, industry, size band and growth, as CSV and Excel. Company-level only: no personal contact details.
- How often is this updated?
- Monthly. Each edition is dated; this one is October 2026.