The JESS Story

For a school that started with just 17 children in a small apartment building, JESS is now a leading international school with two campuses 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.

The school’s original funding took the form of a ‘corporate debenture’; a system that still successfully operates today at our schools with over 170 companies holding debentures at the Jumeirah school and over 80 at Arabian Ranches - many companies having invested in both schools.

Take a trip through our archives below and share our JESS story from humble beginnings to the international school with two thriving campuses that we are today.

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