The price gap between schools in and around Pattaya is enormous. A year of schooling for one child can cost from a few thousand baht at a temple school to almost one million baht at a premium British boarding school, and expat children attend both ends of that range.
This guide is written for families relocating from the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and elsewhere. It covers the whole system: Thai schools, Thai schools with English programmes, international schools, schools that teach a specific national curriculum (British, American, IB, French, German, Japanese and others), and accredited online schools. Fees are taken from the schools’ own websites and fee documents and are linked in the text. Where a school does not publish its fees, we say so instead of quoting numbers from forums.
Summary table of schools in Pattaya and nearby with annual fees
The table lists the main options from the least to the most expensive. Fees are per child per academic year, for lower secondary (Year 7-9 or the equivalent) where the school offers it, otherwise for the top primary years. The entrance or enrolment fee is paid once and is not included in the annual figure.
| School | Area | Curriculum | Year of study, THB | One-time fees, THB | Fee year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple (wat) schools | Pattaya area | Thai, taught in Thai | a few thousand | none | not published |
| Satit Udomseuksa | Pattaya | Thai + English Programme | not published | not published | - |
| Vayupak Nara | Pattaya | English Programme, English-Thai-Japanese | not published | not published | - |
| Burapha / B.E.S.T. | Pattaya | Thai bilingual | not published | not published | - |
| Phoenix Wittaya | Pattaya | Thai bilingual 50/50 | 147,600 | 40,000 | year not stated |
| École Française Internationale de Pattaya | Pattaya | French national (AEFE) | 215,000 (collège) | 50,000 | 2026/27 |
| Hastin International | Pattaya | British, up to Year 9 | 229,500 | 30,000 | 2026 |
| Mooltripakdee International | Pattaya | British, IGCSE, A Level | 357,000 + compulsory charges | 70,000 | see note |
| ISC Pattaya | Pattaya | British, primary only | 359,676 (Year 3-6) | 70,000 | 2026/27 |
| Tara Pattana | Pattaya | British, IGCSE, A Level | 574,000 | 90,000 | 2026/27 |
| Lovell International | Pattaya | British, up to Year 6 | 599,000 (Year 5-6) | 100,000 | 2026/27 |
| ISE (International School Eastern Seaboard) | Sriracha | American + IB Diploma | 600,500 (Grades 6-8) | 90,000 + 50,000 deposit | 2026/27 |
| Regents International School Pattaya | Pattaya | British + IB Diploma | 726,750 (Year 7-8) | 107,000 | 2026/27 |
| St Andrews Green Valley | Ban Chang, Rayong | British + IB | 776,500 | 100,000 + 100,000 deposit | 2026/27 |
| Highgate International | Pattaya | British, opened 2026 | 795,000 (Year 4-6) | 200,000 + 100,000 deposit | 2026/27 |
| Rugby School Thailand | Bang Lamung | British, IGCSE, A Level | 868,000 (Year 7-8) | 200,000 + 100,000 deposit | 2026/27 |
| Garden International School | Rayong | British, IGCSE, IB Diploma | 165,600 per term (Year 7-9) | 120,000 + 40,000 deposit | 2026/27 |
Notes on the table: the Regents figure already includes the school’s 5% discount for early payment of the full year. Mooltripakdee adds compulsory charges for meals, insurance and materials of 57,000-91,500 THB a year; its fee page was checked in September 2026, but we could not re-open it to confirm which academic year it refers to. Phoenix does not state the academic year on its fee page. Hastin labels its table “Academic Year 2026”. Every school is described in more detail below, with a link to its fee page.
Also nearby: Wells International School, Chonburi campus and Royal English Programme School in Ban Chang (details below).
Comparison of four schools by a family’s actual invoices
The fee on a website is not the full cost. Entrance fees, uniforms, textbooks, lunches, transport and the child’s visa all come on top. So it helps to look at what a family actually paid.
These figures were collected by a family we know who recently moved to Pattaya with two children and tried four schools one after another. Everything is converted to one child for one semester, all items included, the child’s visa as well:
| Burapha | Phoenix | Hastin | Tara Pattana | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First semester per child, THB | 97,870 | 147,490 | 150,500 | 306,000 |
| of which entrance fee, THB | 20,000 | 40,000 | 30,000 | 72,500 |
| Following semesters, THB | 72,000 | 77,490 | 100,000 | 226,500 |
| Compared with Burapha | - | x1.5 | x1.5 | x3.1 |
Two things show up here that a price list does not show.
The first year is always the most expensive. The entrance fee is paid once, and at Tara Pattana it was 72,500 THB, almost a third of a semester’s fee on top. From the second year the cost falls. If you compare only the regular semester payment, the gap between Burapha and Tara Pattana grows to more than three times.
Phoenix and Hastin cost almost the same. One is a Thai school with a bilingual programme, the other is an international British school. Financially they are equal, in content they are not, and that is the question to think about first.
The family’s annual figure for Phoenix was 154,980 THB per child against the official 147,600 THB. The difference of about 5% is books and lunches, which Phoenix lists separately. As a rule of thumb, add 5-10% to any published tuition fee, and more where a school has compulsory extra charges.
How the school system in Thailand works for foreign children
For an expat family there are three broad tiers, and the jump in price between them is large.
- Thai schools (state, temple and ordinary private schools) teach the Thai national curriculum in Thai. English is a subject, not the language of instruction.
- Thai schools with an English Programme (EP) or bilingual programme follow the Thai Ministry of Education curriculum, but a large part of teaching is in English, often with native-speaker teachers.
- International schools teach a foreign curriculum in English (mostly British in this region, but also American and IB), usually with external accreditation and qualifications recognised abroad. A few schools teach another country’s national curriculum in that country’s language, such as the French and Japanese schools covered below.
Temple schools and ordinary Thai schools
The lowest tier is the temple (wat) school. These schools have no websites, no published fees and no admissions offices. Children of a family we know attended one for about 3,000 THB, paid roughly every three months, and the children received free milk. Teaching is entirely in Thai, with no English and no adaptation for a foreign child. It works for a family that has settled in Thailand for good and wants the child to speak Thai like a local. For everyone else it does not.
Ordinary Thai state and private schools follow the same Thai curriculum with English as a subject. Public schooling in Thailand is designed around Thai citizens, and whether and on what terms a foreign child is admitted is decided by the individual school, in person. A child leaves such a school with real Thai and a Thai certificate, but moving later into an English-language programme is hard. This tier suits families who are sure they are staying.
Thai bilingual and English Programme schools in Pattaya
This is the best value tier. Formally these are Thai schools working to the Ministry of Education curriculum, but teaching is largely in English and Thai remains the language of the corridors and the office.
Phoenix Wittaya School
Phoenix is a 50/50 English-Thai bilingual school with Chinese as an additional language, for ages 2 to 15. It publishes its fees openly (phoenix.ac.th/fee-information, checked 25 September 2026, academic year not stated on the page):
- kindergarten, primary and secondary: 147,600 THB a year (two semesters of 73,800)
- nursery: 12,000 THB a month
- entrance fee: 40,000 THB
- books 3,000-8,000 THB a year, meals 5,000-10,000 THB a year
- not included: uniform, exams, clubs, trips, visa, bus, insurance
Burapha Pattaya School (B.E.S.T.)
Burapha runs a bilingual programme linked to Burapha University for ages 3 to 18; senior students move to the separate Burapha Pattanasart International School with Cambridge IGCSE and A Level. Fees are not published on the website. According to the invoices of the family above, it was 97,870 THB for the first semester per child, the cheapest of the four. Ask the school directly.
Royal English Programme School, Ban Chang
Royal English Programme School in Ban Chang (Rayong province) charges 52,700 THB per semester for kindergarten, with lunch, snacks, milk and materials included, and gives a 5% discount for the second child and 10% from the third (repsbanchang.com/fees, checked 25 September 2026).
Satit Udomseuksa and Vayupak Nara
Satit Udomseuksa School runs a Thai track and an English Programme track. Vayupak Nara School is a primary school teaching in English, Thai and Japanese (it is a Thai school, not a Japanese national school). Neither publishes fees online, which is normal for the Thai segment: the price list is either in Thai or available only by phone.
British international schools in Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard
Most international schools in the Pattaya area teach the English National Curriculum, leading to IGCSE and then A Level or the IB Diploma. Inside this tier the price spread is about four times, and a school can call itself “international” without holding any external accreditation. Check what is behind the name.
Hastin International School
Hastin is the most affordable international school in Pattaya: British curriculum, but only up to Year 9 for now. No external accreditation is stated on its website. Fees for “Academic Year 2026”: early years 169,500 THB, Year 1-6 198,900 THB, Year 7-9 229,500 THB a year; application 3,000 THB, enrolment 30,000 THB (hastin.ac.th/tuition-fees).
Mooltripakdee International School
Mooltripakdee covers preschool to Year 13 with Cambridge IGCSE and A Level. Year 7-9 is 357,000 THB a year and Year 12-13 is 517,500 THB, but compulsory charges for meals, insurance and materials add 57,000-91,500 THB a year. Enrolment is 70,000 THB per family, with sibling discounts of 5% and 10% and a further 5% for paying the full year (mis.ac.th/school-fees, checked September 2026). The website names Cambridge as its examination programme; no CIS, WASC or IB accreditation is stated.
ISC Pattaya (International School of Chonburi)
ISC Pattaya is primary only, up to Year 6. Its NEASC accreditation is listed in the NEASC school directory. For 2026/27: Year 1-2 342,216 THB, Year 3-6 359,676 THB a year; registration 70,000 THB (20,000 for the second child, free from the third), and the school states that it charges no development fee (iscpattaya.com/fees).
Tara Pattana International School
Tara Pattana takes children from 6 months to Year 13, British curriculum with IGCSE and A Level, part of the International Schools Partnership group. Lunch, snacks, textbooks for Primary and Key Stage 3 and on-campus accident insurance are included in tuition. Year 7-9 574,000 THB, Year 10-11 627,000 THB, Sixth Form 665,000 THB a year, entrance fee 90,000 THB (tpis.ac.th/admissions/tuition-fees, 2026/27).
Lovell International School
Lovell teaches the British curriculum from age 2 to Year 6. Fees for 2026/27 according to the school’s Fees Policy 2026/2027:
| Stage | Fee per year, THB |
|---|---|
| Pre-Nursery, half day | 351,000 |
| Pre-Nursery, full day | 433,000 |
| Nursery | 454,000 |
| Reception | 505,000 |
| Year 1-2 | 577,000 |
| Year 3-4 | 588,000 |
| Year 5-6 | 599,000 |
On top of that: application fee 5,000 THB and registration fee 100,000 THB, both non-refundable.
Rugby School Thailand
Rugby School Thailand, in Khao Mai Kaew, Bang Lamung, is a British day and boarding school for ages 2 to 18 with IGCSE and A Level. Its fees are high but unusually inclusive: according to the school, tuition covers the extracurricular programme, annual residential trips, textbooks, lunches, snacks and external exam fees including IGCSE and A Level. For 2026/27: Year 1-2 736,000 THB, Year 4-6 788,000 THB, Year 7-8 868,000 THB, Year 10-11 988,000 THB, Year 12-13 999,000 THB a year. Application 5,500 THB, acceptance fee 200,000 THB (non-refundable), refundable deposit 100,000 THB. Boarding from Year 6 costs 285,100-493,800 THB a year (fee page and the linked 2026-2027 fee booklet).
Regents International School Pattaya
Regents, part of Nord Anglia Education and open since 1994, lets students choose between A Level and the IB Diploma at 16. For 2026/27 (with the 5% early payment discount): Year 1-2 616,550 THB, Year 3-6 647,900 THB, Year 7-8 726,750 THB, Year 12-13 854,050 THB a year. Enrolment 107,000 THB for Year 1-13, external exams 35,000-65,000 THB extra, boarding from age 8 at 424,650 THB a year (nordangliaeducation.com/risp-pattaya).
St Andrews International School Green Valley
St Andrews Green Valley combines the British curriculum with the IB (Primary Years Programme and Diploma) and is a CIS member and an IB World School. For 2026/27: Year 1-2 632,000 THB, Year 3-6 659,000 THB, Year 7-9 776,500 THB, Year 12-13 (IB Diploma) 867,500 THB a year. Entrance 100,000 THB for Year 1-13 plus a refundable deposit of 100,000 THB; English language support (EAL) costs 100,000 THB a year and the school bus up to 89,500 THB (school fees page).
Highgate International School Thailand
Highgate opened on 19 August 2026; when we checked in September its website said the licence was still being obtained. Primary fees for 2026/27 are 755,000-795,000 THB a year, enrolment 200,000 THB plus a 100,000 THB refundable deposit; Year 7-9 opens in 2027/28 (highgate.ac.th/fees-and-payments).
Garden International School Rayong
Garden International School in Rayong teaches IGCSE and the IB Diploma and has boarding from Year 5. Fees are charged per term for 2026/27: Year 1-2 139,500 THB, Year 3-6 149,100 THB, Year 7-9 165,600 THB per term; Year 11 is 247,700 THB and Year 12-13 (IB) 304,900 THB, each payable for two terms only. Enrolment 120,000 THB for primary and secondary, refundable deposit 40,000 THB, and an educational visa document fee of 15,000 THB. The school bus to Pattaya is 28,900 THB per term (gardenrayong.com fees).
Wells International School, Chonburi campus
The most recent fee PDF we found on the Wells website is for 2024/25, so we do not quote it here. It shows a one-time campus development fee and compulsory meals; ask the school for the current schedule.
National curriculum schools: American, IB, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Australian
Many families want their children to stay in their home system so they can return without losing a year. Here is what we could confirm on the schools’ own websites, starting with the Eastern Seaboard and then Bangkok, about 2-2.5 hours’ drive from Pattaya.
British curriculum
This is the easy case: almost every international school in the Pattaya area is British, from Hastin and ISC Pattaya to Tara Pattana, Regents, St Andrews Green Valley, Rugby, Highgate and Garden Rayong (all above). They follow the English National Curriculum and the British exam path (IGCSE, then A Level or IB).
American curriculum: ISE in Sriracha and ISB in Bangkok
International School Eastern Seaboard (ISE) in Bowin, Sriracha (Chonburi) describes itself as the only American international school on the Eastern Seaboard, with American-style education, the IB Diploma in Grades 11-12 and SAT preparation (ise.ac.th). Fees for 2026/27, published 18 May 2026 (official fee PDF):
| Grade | Full year, THB |
|---|---|
| Pre-K2, K3 and K4 | 357,600 |
| Kindergarten to Grade 5 | 514,200 |
| Grades 6 to 8 | 600,500 |
| Grades 9 and 10 | 617,000 |
| Grades 11 and 12 | 646,000 |
New students pay an enrolment fee of 90,000 THB, an application fee of 5,000 THB and a refundable deposit of 50,000 THB. Tuition includes classroom supplies and textbooks; uniforms, meals and external exam fees (IB, SAT, TOEFL) are extra.
International School Bangkok (ISB), in Nichada Thani, Nonthaburi, is the best-known American school in Thailand, with an American educational philosophy and IB Diploma, AP and ISB Diploma pathways in high school. For 2026/27: elementary (KG-5) 1,015,000 THB, middle school (Grades 6-8) 1,137,000 THB, high school (Grades 9-12) 1,197,000 THB a year, plus a one-time registration fee of 260,000 THB and an annual fee of 22,000 THB (isb.ac.th/admissions/fees). From Pattaya it is a boarding or relocation decision rather than a daily commute.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The IB Diploma is available locally at Regents Pattaya, St Andrews Green Valley, Garden International School Rayong and ISE in Sriracha (all described above). St Andrews Green Valley also runs the IB Primary Years Programme.
French curriculum: École Française Internationale de Pattaya
École Française Internationale de Pattaya (EFIP) is accredited (homologuée) by the French Ministry of Education, belongs to the AEFE network and teaches the French national curriculum from maternelle to terminale. Non-French-speaking children aged 6-10 can join an intensive French programme. From the 3e year, enrolment with CNED (the French distance-learning centre) is compulsory for administrative reasons, and DNB and baccalauréat exam fees are billed by the Lycée Français International de Bangkok.
Fees for 2026/27 (ecolepattaya.com/admission): maternelle 175,000 THB, élémentaire 200,000 THB, collège 215,000 THB, seconde 220,000 THB, première and terminale 235,000 THB a year. First registration 50,000 THB, annual administration fee 5,000 THB, 20,000 THB supplement for non-French-speaking primary children, sibling discount 10% for the second child and 15% after. Classes for 2026/27 started on 1 September 2026.
German and Swiss curriculum: RIS Swiss Section in Bangkok
There is no German-language school on the Eastern Seaboard that we could find. The nearest is RIS Swiss Section - Deutschsprachige Schule Bangkok in Ramkhamhaeng, Bangkok, founded in 1963. It teaches in German and English, offers the Swiss bilingual Matura and states that it is accredited by Swiss and German authorities and belongs to the network of German schools abroad supported by the ZfA (ris-swiss-section.org). The school publishes fees per semester, but the page does not state the academic year, so we do not quote them; check the tuition page or ask admissions.
Japanese curriculum: Thai-Japanese Association School Sriracha
Thai-Japanese Association School Sriracha (Sriracha Japanese School), at Surasak, Sriracha, is the Sriracha campus of the Thai-Japanese Association School, whose main campus is in Bangkok (tjas.ac.th). It follows the curriculum guidelines of the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) for elementary and junior high school. According to its enrolment rules (school regulations), the child must hold Japanese nationality or be recognised as equivalent by the school board, must be able to follow lessons in Japanese, at least one accompanying parent must handle all school communication in Japanese, and the family must not be in Thailand on a tourist visa. This is a school for Japanese families, not a general international school. Fees are set by the school; we did not find them on the public pages.
Korean curriculum: Korean International School of Bangkok
The Korean International School of Bangkok in Bang Khen, Bangkok, runs Korean elementary and secondary curricula plus an English programme (kisbangkok.co.kr). Its admissions and fee pages are in Korean and the fee details were not readable as text, so we do not quote fees. We found no Korean-curriculum school on the Eastern Seaboard.
Australian curriculum: St. Marks in Bangkok
St. Marks Australian International School in Bangkok describes itself as the first Australian international school in Thailand (since 1999) and offers the Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) programme in Years 11-12 (stmarks.ac.th). Fees are not published on the home page. We found no Australian-curriculum school near Pattaya.
Chinese curriculum
We could not confirm, on an official school website, a school teaching the mainland Chinese national curriculum on the Eastern Seaboard, so we do not list one. Mandarin as a subject is common, for example at Phoenix Wittaya.
Accredited online schools as an alternative to a local school
Some families keep their children in an online school from home, especially for a first year or for older students in the middle of exams. Choose one with recognised accreditation, and remember that an online school does not give a child a Thai visa (see the visa section below). Options we checked:
- King’s InterHigh (UK): British curriculum from Key Stage 2 to A Level, plus an online IB Diploma. The school says it is accredited by the UK Department for Education under the Online Education Accreditation Scheme, is an accredited Cambridge International School and a Pearson Edexcel approved centre (accreditations). For 2026/27 the primary annual contract is shown at £4,395 a year, plus a £100 registration fee and a £1,000 deposit for students outside the UK (fees).
- Wolsey Hall Oxford (UK): a homeschool provider following Cambridge (and some Pearson Edexcel) courses from primary to A Level, which describes itself as Cambridge-approved (curriculums and accreditations). Fees are charged per course with bundle discounts, so there is no single annual figure.
- Laurel Springs School (US): online private K-12 school that states it is accredited by WASC and Cognia (laurelsprings.com). Tuition is listed on its admissions pages; check the current year before relying on it.
School year calendar: international and French schools
International schools in the area start the year in August, French schools in early September. Examples for 2026/27: Rugby School Thailand started on 25 August 2026 and ends on 25 June 2027 (term dates); ISE invoices its two semesters in May and November (fee PDF); EFIP started classes on 1 September 2026. British schools mostly bill in three terms, American and Thai-programme schools in two semesters. Thai-programme schools follow the Thai academic calendar, which differs from the international one, so check the dates directly with the school if you plan a mid-year move.
Visas for school-age children and parents
A child attending a licensed school in Thailand normally holds a Non-Immigrant ED (education) visa arranged with the school’s support. Schools charge for this: Garden International School Rayong, for example, lists an educational visa document fee of 15,000 THB for 2026/27. Rugby School Thailand says on its visa page that its visa team helps with the ED visa for students and gives guidance on the guardian visa (Non-O) that allows a parent to live in Thailand while the child studies. Ask each school which visas it supports before you enrol.
If a parent holds a Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), children under 20 can apply in the DTV3 category as dependants of the DTV holder. Since 31 August 2026 DTV applications must be made through the Thai mission for your country of nationality or permanent residence, and a police clearance certificate is required (Royal Thai Embassy London; applications via thaievisa.go.th).
Note that a child studying only with an online school has no basis for an education visa: their stay depends on the parents’ visa.
How to choose a school in Pattaya
A few questions worth answering before you start calling schools:
How long are you staying. If your horizon is two or three years, an international or home-curriculum school keeps the door open for the move back. If you have come for good, a Thai bilingual school gives language, local friends and a fee about a third of an international school’s.
Where will your child go to university. For the UK, Europe or the US, look for a school with a full IGCSE and A Level or IB Diploma path and genuine accreditation. For a return to France, Germany, Switzerland or Japan, the national-curriculum schools above keep the child in step with the home system.
How old is your child. Up to about nine or ten, children pick up a new language of instruction quickly and a cheaper school is a reasonable choice. After twelve, starting an English-language programme from zero is a hard year.
Count the full cost, not the line in the price list. Entrance fee, deposit, uniform, books, lunches, bus, exams, EAL support and the visa. In the family’s experience the real spend was 5-10% above the published fee, and at schools with compulsory extra charges the gap can reach a third.
International school fees were taken from the schools’ official websites and fee documents in September and October 2026; links are given in the text. Fee schedules are revised every year, usually upwards. The four-school comparison is per child per semester and includes the child’s visa.
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