International schools in Pattaya.

The short version

Pattaya and the wider Eastern Seaboard have a solid bench of international schools — British, American and IB campuses serving the city, the Chonburi coast and the Rayong industrial corridor, several with boarding. For relocating families this is a real draw, and fees here generally sit below Bangkok's top tier. But the choice still shapes everything: which curriculum you pick, where you live, and a large slice of your budget. Below: the schools expats choose, typical tuition, where campuses cluster, the curricula explained, and admissions tips. For day-to-day budgeting pair this with the Pattaya cost-of-living guide, and use our Pattaya area guides to match a neighbourhood to your school.

The schools expat families choose

A representative selection of established international schools in and around Pattaya across the British, American and IB systems. This is a starting point, not a ranking — many more options exist, and the right fit depends on curriculum, location and your child.

Full profiles

Each school has a full BAANLYY profile — campus address, the honest commute from Pattaya, the curriculum pathway stage by stage, accreditation and boarding, plus the areas families actually live in for that school run.

What tuition costs

Indicative annual tuition for 2026. Flagship British schools and those with boarding sit at the upper end; smaller community schools can be markedly cheaper. These figures are tuition only.

Budget separately for one-off application and registration fees, a refundable deposit or development levy at some schools, boarding fees where relevant, and ongoing costs for uniforms, the school bus, lunches and trips. Always request each school's full current fee schedule before you commit.

Where schools cluster — and choosing an area

Because Pattaya has no rail system and the school run can be slow, most families pick their neighbourhood around the school. The campuses fall into a few clusters along the coast and inland:

Check the school bus routes, catchment zones and pick-up times before signing a lease — they often matter more than straight-line distance.

The question to ask about the last two years

Every prospectus on the Eastern Seaboard says a version of “A-levels to 18”. It does not always mean the same thing. At some schools it means a teacher in a classroom on that campus. At others it has meant, or still means, a supervised room and a tutor on a screen in the United Kingdom, or enrolment in a national distance-education body with on-site supervision. Both are real models, both produce real qualifications, and neither is a scandal — but they are different purchases, they cost different amounts, and they produce very different school days for a sixteen-year-old.

The reason we now state this school by school is that the third-party directories are demonstrably behind. In August 2026 we re-read all eight schools' own websites. Tara Pattana's own material now describes an on-campus sixth form in a new Sixth Form centre, names fifteen A-level subjects across two exam boards, and its own fee schedule lists a single Year 12–13 price — while directories still publish a priced menu of part-online alternatives. Mooltripakdee's homepage offers “Early Years up to IGCSE / A-Level” while its own meta description stops at IGCSE and the site has no sixth-form page at all, so we treat its A-level provision as unconfirmed. EFIP enrols students with CNED, France's national distance-education body, from 3e onwards — a year earlier than most readers assume, at the end of collège rather than the start of lycée — and says so openly. Regents, Rugby, St Andrews Green Valley, ISE and Garden International publish on-campus senior years with no blended element.

So do not ask whether a school “offers A-levels”. Ask: will every one of my child's subjects be taught on this campus, by a teacher in the room, and can I have that in writing? Each school profile below carries our answer, with the date we last checked it.

British, American & IB — which curriculum?

The British system runs through IGCSEs at 16 and A-levels at 18 — focused, exam-based and easy to transfer back to the UK and Commonwealth; Regents, Rugby School Thailand, St Andrews, Tara Pattana, GIS and Mooltripakdee follow it. The American system awards a high-school diploma with Advanced Placement (AP) courses and a broader, continuous-assessment approach; ISE is the local anchor. The International Baccalaureate (PYP in primary, MYP in middle years, and the IB Diploma at 16–18) is a globally portable, inquiry-led programme offered as a senior pathway at Regents, St Andrews and ISE. If you expect to move countries again, the IB and the larger British schools travel especially well. Choose around where you might go next and how your child learns best.

Admissions & relocation tips

The most popular schools fill their year groups, so start early — many open applications six to twelve months ahead, and entry into the senior years can be the hardest to secure. Expect to provide recent school reports and records, sit an assessment or entrance test (and often an interview), and show English-language readiness. The academic year usually runs August to June, so aim to apply well before the summer. Gather transcripts, immunisation records and references before you leave home, and where you can, visit shortlisted campuses in person — fit, facilities and the commute are hard to judge from a website. If boarding at Regents or Rugby is on your list, ask about places and the combined fee schedule early. Once a place is confirmed, choose your area and home around the school and its bus network.

Pattaya international school questions