International schools in Thailand

Search for the best international schools in Thailand; you can find a list at the bottom of this page. Use the search filters to select only girls' or boys' schools, prep schools, senior schools or sixth forms; or you can search for schools that offer a particular curriculum, such as the International Baccalaureate, the UK national curriculum, a US-style model or the International Primary Curriculum.

New international schools have continued to open apace in Thailand over recent decades, despite a series of political crises including two coups d’etat. There are now more than 80 schools across the country, with most centred on Bangkok and a small cluster in Chiang Mai.

English is the medium of instruction at all 32 IB World Schools in Thailand, of which 24 are authorised to teach the International Baccalaureate Diploma and six, including KIS International School and NIST International School, follow three IB programmes. Coeducational day schools are the norm across the sector.

There are schools following the curriculums of the UK, the US, France, Switzerland and Singapore, as well as a range of religious foundations and boarding schools. The latter include Harrow International School Bangkok, which was set up in 1998 under licence from the UK’s prestigious Harrow School, the first of four sister schools in Asia.

Thai nationals have been allowed to attend international schools since 1992, after a group of parents and United Nations staff in Bangkok lobbied the government to change the law. They went on to set up the NIST International School. 

All international schools are required to comply with strict Ministry of Education rules on registration, provision of facilities and accreditation. Thai language and culture classes are mandatory for Thai students. 

The Council of International Schools has 20 accredited member schools in Thailand and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges has four. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges also accredits Thai schools. 

Education is compulsory from age 6 to 14 and state schools are free up to age 17. Teaching is in Thai. Children attend primary school for six years and lower secondary school for three years. Students must pass an entrance exam to proceed to three years of upper secondary schooling. The school year runs from May to March. 

If you are looking specifically for International Baccalaureate World Schools in Thailand, you can find selected schools on our sister website: www.ibyb.org.