What Is the First Formal School of Saudi Arabia?

Dar al-Tawheed School in Taif Governorate is the first formal school of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its construction was ordered by the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud in 1945. It was a school for teaching Arabic and Sharia sciences.

Taif Governorate was chosen to become a bastion of education due to its geographical location, which connected Hejaz to Najd at the time, and its proximity to Makkah al-Mukarramah for those traveling to the Grand Mosque. Additionally, its natural environment facilitated the rapid adaptation of students coming from various regions of the Kingdom.

King Abdulaziz allocated a financial reward for outstanding students. It was disbursed as vacation stipends paid for students before their summer vacation.