The JESS Story

For a school that started with just 17 children in a small apartment building, JESS is now a leading international education institution with two campuses, three schools and over 2,300 students from across the world.

In the mid-1970s, expats were drawn to work in the oil industry in the Middle East. It became apparent that there was a need for good-quality, affordable education, for the children of these English-speaking expat families.

And so, JESS was created in a building near the Deira Clock Tower in 1975. Within a year, with a growing number of students, and thanks to a plot of land gifted by HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, JESS moved into a villa in Jumeirah. There, JESS Jumeirah expanded into what is now one of the leading primary schools in Dubai and continues to thrive.

In 2005, the demand for school places necessitated construction on a new site and the Arabian Ranches campus opened in what was then a brand new community on the very outskirts of Dubai. This campus houses both a primary and secondary school, giving rise to ‘three schools, two campuses, one JESS’.

Our success today is descendant of the foresight shown in 1975 and we now work hard to cement our legacy for the next generation of JESS students. Take a trip through our archives below and see the JESS story from our humble beginnings to the international school with two thriving campuses that we are today.