Si Ri Panya International School is the only school on Koh Phangan holding a Thai Ministry of Education international-school licence, which it has held since September 2019. It sits at 52/30 Moo 1 in Ban Tai, opposite Wat Pho on the island's south coast, and teaches the English National Curriculum from Primary (ages 5–11, Years 1–6) through Lower Secondary (ages 11–14, Years 7–9) to Upper Secondary (ages 14–16, Years 10–11), where pupils sit Cambridge IGCSE and BTEC qualifications. Its own homepage describes the school as being for pupils aged 5–16 with a pathway 'from strong Primary foundations through Secondary and recognised qualifications'. It is an accredited Cambridge International School and an authorised Cambridge Examination Centre, is licensed by the Thai Ministry of Education and accredited through ONESQA, and was inspected by the Education Development Trust against the International Schools Quality Mark. The school runs a Precious Plastic workshop and holds Eco-Schools Green Flag status, and it operates the island's only school bus network — three fixed routes with a hard cap of twelve places.
What licence this setting holds
Licensed by the Thai Ministry of Education as an international school, and accredited through ONESQA (Sor.Mor.Sor). This is the only MoE international-school licence on Koh Phangan.
The details families ask about
| Curriculum | English National Curriculum with the Cambridge Pathway in secondary; Cambridge IGCSE and BTEC pathways at Key Stage 4 |
|---|---|
| Ages | 5–16 |
| Where it stops | 16 (Year 11) |
| Leaving qualification | Cambridge IGCSE and BTEC (no sixth form, no A-levels, no IB) |
| Boarding | Day school. Si Ri Panya publishes no boarding provision of any kind, and no school on Koh Phangan does. |
| Getting there | Three fixed bus routes — northern, central and southern — run by a named local operator, with drop-off at 08:50 and collections at 15:00 and 16:00. Two things matter more than the routes: the service is capped at TWELVE places island-wide, allocated first come first served, and the school states plainly that children are picked up from points on a route and that deviations to individual houses are not possible. You must live on a route and get one of twelve seats. |
| Short stays & mid-year joining | A conventional three-term school year with published term dates; the school runs a separate holiday camp. It is not structured around short-stay or drop-in enrolment. |
| Address | 52/30 Moo 1, Ban Tai, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280 |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Who it suits | Families committed to the island for years rather than months, who want a recognised British pathway from age 5 and are content to plan a move — or a switch to a distance provider — at 16. |
We do not publish per-setting tuition figures. They change every year and the directories disagree with each other and with the schools — ask the setting for its current schedule.
What it is accredited for
- Education Development Trust (EDT) — inspected, with the International Schools Quality Mark (ISQM)
- Cambridge International School and authorised Cambridge Examination Centre
- Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA / Sor.Mor.Sor)
- Thai Ministry of Education licence
What we could not confirm, and what disagrees
Where a setting's own sources contradict each other, we report both rather than choosing the tidier answer. Where we could not verify something, we say so instead of leaving a confident gap.
- Si Ri Panya's own accreditation page contradicts itself on the inspection date: its opening paragraph says the school was inspected by EDT and ISQM 'in June 2025', while the section immediately below is headed 'October 2024: EDT Inspection Highlights'. We publish both rather than pick one.
- The school's own site disagrees with itself about the bottom of its age range. The homepage and its pathway cards start at 5 (Primary, Years 1–6), but the Learning menu carries an item labelled 'Early Years (ages 4-5)' — whose link slug reads 'early-years-ages-5-11'. The International Schools Database records the school as ages 5 to 16. Families arriving with a four-year-old should confirm directly whether an Early Years class is running this year.
- The school's accreditation page names exactly three partners — EDT/ISQM, Cambridge, and ONESQA. Pearson and ISAT appear as footer badges site-wide but are not listed among the accreditation partners. The Pearson relationship is corroborated by the school's own BTEC pathway at Key Stage 4; ISAT membership we report as a footer badge only. This is the Chonburi group-badge lesson in a milder form: a footer logo is not the same claim as a named accreditation.
- The school stops at 16. Any source describing Si Ri Panya as running to 18, or as offering A-levels or the IB, is wrong — including search summaries that currently return 'ages 3 to 18' for it.
Areas families use for this setting
Koh Phangan has no public transit and its interior roads are steeper and slower than Samui's. Drive the run at the actual drop-off time before you sign a lease.
Confirm these before you enrol anywhere on Koh Phangan
- WHICH MINISTRY LICENSED IT, FOR WHAT AGES, AND FOR HOW MANY CHILDREN? This is the Koh Phangan question. A provincial childcare-centre registration from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security is not a Ministry of Education school licence, and an MoE tutorial/vocational licence is not an MoE international-school licence. Ask to see the licence, and check the age band and the headcount it permits against the number of children actually on site.
- Do the foreign teaching staff hold work permits? Ask directly. The nationwide labour inspections that followed the May 2026 raid were about exactly this.
- Where does this setting stop, and what comes next? The island's settings end at six different points and only one route reaches a school-leaving credential. Know your child's next move before you sign a lease.
- If the answer is the GED® route, confirm in writing that the universities your child is aiming at accept it — and confirm where the external exams are actually sat.
- Can you enrol for a term, or must you commit to a year? Two settings on this island have opposite policies, and this is the single most important question for a DTV or long-stay family.
- If you need the school bus, ask whether a seat is free before you choose where to live. There are twelve, island-wide, and the route will not deviate to your house.
- Ask for the class size AND the ratio, then ask how they combine in your child's actual room.
- If a setting has no website, that is information, not a verdict — but get the address, visit in person, and call a number that answers.
BAANLYY does not rank, endorse or accept payment from schools. The facts on this page were read on this setting's own website during our latest review. Always confirm current admissions, licensing, fees and campus details directly with the setting. Visit the official Si Ri Panya website →
Sources & References
Primary and official sources are cited above. Government rules, fees and procedures in Thailand change over time and vary by office; always confirm current requirements with the relevant authority before relying on them. BAANLYY never takes paid placement in editorial content.
Find a home near Si Ri Panya
Browse Koh Phangan rentals around Ban Tai (opposite Wat Pho), or read the full schooling guide for how the island's settings fit together.
