Oonrak Koh Samui School opened in 2005 and runs a fully immersive bilingual programme from daycare through Primary 6, at 57 Moo 1 in Maenam on the island's north coast. Students follow the Thai National Curriculum supplemented with the British National Curriculum and the Cambridge International Curriculum, splitting the timetable between English-medium and Thai-medium subjects so that both languages develop together. The campus is well found for a school of its size: a full-sized covered swimming pool, an outdoor running track and a covered football pitch — which let it host inter-school fixtures against other Samui schools each term — alongside science laboratories, a large library, a 30-station computer suite, a dance studio, music and art rooms, a meditation room, specialist ESL classes and playgrounds set in tropical gardens. The school also publishes visa information for its admissions process, which is a practical convenience for relocating families.
Where the campus actually is
57 Moo 1, Maenam, Ko Samui, Surat Thani 84330
No rail exists anywhere on Samui. The campus is in Maenam on the north coast, convenient for Maenam, Bang Por, Bophut and Nathon. The school offers a school bus service which it describes as limited, so confirm whether your address is covered before committing.
Area guides families use for this school run: Maenam · Bophut · Bang Rak · Nathon
The curriculum pathway, stage by stage
- Daycare and Pre-K
- Kindergarten 1–3 (ages 3–6)
- Primary 1–6 (ages 6–12)
- Taught in English: English Language, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education and Swimming
- Taught in Thai: Thai Language, Mathematics, Science, Computing, Art and Social Studies
What happens after 16
None — Oonrak ends at Primary 6, at about age 12, so every family moves to a secondary school afterwards. Note also that Oonrak is a bilingual school, not an international one: it previously ran an international section and closed it, moving fully to the bilingual programme. That history matters because several listicles still describe Oonrak as one of Samui's international schools. It is the island's substantial lower-cost English-medium alternative, which is a different and genuinely useful thing.
Accreditations & authorisations
- The school publishes no external accreditation on its own website. It operates as a Thai bilingual school rather than an international school — see the note below.
Scale & provision
The school publishes no roll figure. Its campus is unusually well equipped for a bilingual primary and it hosts inter-school sports fixtures against other Samui schools each term.
A day school. No boarding is advertised.
Who it suits
Families settling on Samui long term who want their children to come out genuinely literate in Thai as well as English, at a fraction of international-school cost — and families with children below secondary age who are based on the north coast.
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 English-language page says students follow half their timetable in English; its Thai-language page says 70 per cent. We report both rather than choose, and suggest asking admissions for the current split by year group.
- School directories place Oonrak in Bophut. The school's own site gives its address as 57 Moo 1, Maenam — 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 Oonrak Koh Samui School'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 Oonrak Koh Samui School 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 Maenam, or compare all the island's schools first.
