The International School of Samui (ISS) was founded in 2007 by Jeremy and Victoria Lees. Jeremy — a UK-qualified teacher, University of St Andrews graduate and former British Army helicopter pilot — was founding Headmaster until 2021; in 2022 the couple handed leadership to CEO Stephen Andrews. The school follows the British independent-school model, teaching the National Curriculum of England supported by Cambridge programmes, and holds accreditation as both a Cambridge International and a Pearson Edexcel examination centre. Beyond the classroom it runs a Sports Academy, a Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme, a marine conservation programme and an organic farm, and offers Mandarin, Spanish, German, French and Thai as language options.
Where the campus actually is
141/21 Moo 6, Bophut, Ko Samui, Surat Thani 84320
There is no rail, metro or tram anywhere on Koh Samui — the school run is by car, scooter or school bus on the ring road. ISS makes this unusually easy to judge: the school describes itself as sitting in the island's main commercial district on the main ring road, clearly signposted next to Bandon International Hospital and the Big C shopping centre. If you know where Big C is, you know where the school is.
Area guides families use for this school run: Chaweng · Bophut · Bang Rak · Choeng Mon · Plai Laem
The curriculum pathway, stage by stage
- Early Years (ages 3–5)
- Primary School
- Senior School — Cambridge IGCSE, with 22 subject choices
- Sixth Form — A-Level, with 20 subject choices
- BTEC as an applied alternative alongside A-Levels
- Thai Language, Culture & History taught throughout
What happens after 16
A full sixth form taught on campus — on the evidence of the schools' own websites, the only conventional, fully timetabled sixth form on Koh Samui. 20 A-Level subject choices, plus BTEC as an applied route, taught in class by subject staff rather than delivered remotely. For a family arriving with a teenager who intends to sit A-levels without changing island, this is the distinguishing fact about ISS.
Accreditations & authorisations
- Cambridge International examination centre
- Pearson Edexcel examination centre
- Education Development Trust (EDT) — ISQM Gold status
- ISAT member (International Schools Association of Thailand)
- Licensed to teach the National Curriculum of England to ages 3–18 under Thailand's Private School Act
Scale & provision
The school reports over 300 pupils from more than 35 nationalities. Teachers are recruited from the UK with a PGCE, QTS, B Ed, M Ed or equivalent recognised UK teaching qualification.
No boarding is advertised on the school's own website — treat ISS as a day school and confirm directly if you need residential provision.
Who it suits
Families who want a complete British route from age 3 to university entrance without leaving the island, and who want the widest subject choice Samui offers at IGCSE and A-Level.
What we could not verify — and where sources disagree
We publish these openly rather than smoothing them over. A school guide that hides its uncertainty is not much use to a family making a decision this big.
- The school's own history page dates its founding to 2007, by Jeremy and Victoria Lees. Some third-party listings say 2006. We follow the school.
Ask every Koh Samui school this
- Ask whether the sixth form is taught on campus or online. On Samui this is the single highest-stakes question: of the three schools running A-levels, two describe their post-16 route as blended or hybrid learning on their own websites. Ask exactly which subjects are taught by on-site specialist staff, which are delivered remotely, and who supervises the student during study periods.
- Ask whether the year group your child needs actually runs this year. Island cohorts are small, and a stage can appear on a website while the class itself is not staffed or not filled. Ask how many children are currently in that specific year group.
- Drive the school run at 07:30, not at midday. Samui is a ring island served by one main road; the Chaweng and Lamai stretches back up badly at school and commuting times, and straight-line distance on a map is close to meaningless.
- Ask what the school bus actually covers. Provision varies enormously here -- one school advertises transport across the island, another describes its service as limited, and some run none at all. The bus catchment quietly decides which neighbourhoods are realistic for you.
- Ask which exam board each subject sits with, and where the examinations are physically taken. Several Samui schools hold authorisations from more than one board, and island logistics matter for exam sessions.
- Request the school's own current fee schedule in writing, including registration, deposit, uniform, bus, lunch and trips. We do not publish per-school fees because they change annually.
BAANLYY does not rank, endorse or accept payment from schools. Facts on this page are compiled from International School of Samui (ISS)'s own official website and independent cross-checks, and we deliberately publish no per-school fee figures — they change annually and a stale number is worse than none. Always confirm current admissions, fees, year groups and campus details directly with the school. Visit the official International School of Samui (ISS) 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 for this school run
Samui has no rail — the neighbourhood you choose is the commute. Browse homes near Bophut, or compare all the island's schools first.
