Established in 2011 on Pattanakarn Road in Nongprue, Tara Pattana International School (TPIS) is a British-curriculum day school and, at roughly four kilometres from central Pattaya, much the most central of the city's international schools. It is part of International Schools Partnership (ISP), a global group of international schools. It follows the English National Curriculum from the Early Years Foundation Stage onwards, sitting Edexcel IGCSEs in Years 10–11, and it explicitly adapts the English curriculum to sit alongside Thai cultural content rather than ignoring it.
The campus
Address: 88 Moo 13, Pattanakarn Road (Soi Tungklom–Tanman 9), Nongprue, Bang Lamung, Chonburi 20150
A compact urban campus in Nongprue rather than a countryside estate — the trade-off that comes with being the school you can actually reach. TPIS is a LAMDA-accredited examination centre, and speech, drama and public speaking are a visible part of the school's identity rather than an afterthought.
Where this campus actually is
This is the short-commute school, and for many families that single fact outweighs everything else. Nongprue sits between central Pattaya and Jomtien, around four kilometres from the city centre, which puts Jomtien, Pratumnak, central Pattaya, Khao Talo and East Pattaya all within a genuinely short drive. There is still no rail and the baht-bus network is not a school-run solution, so it is a car, a bike or the school bus — but it is minutes rather than the half-hour-plus that Bo Win, Ban Chang or Khao Mai Kaew demand.
There is no urban rail anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard — no BTS, no MRT, no metro. The State Railway's eastern line calls at Pattaya but it is a sparse intercity service, not a school run, and the Bangkok–U-Tapao high-speed rail scheme is not in service. Baht buses cover the beach strip and do not usefully reach the inland campuses where most of these schools sit. Every school run here is a car, a school bus, a motorbike or a Grab — so the neighbourhood you choose and the bus route you qualify for matter more in Pattaya than in almost any Thai city. Read the Pattaya getting-around guide and the Pattaya area guides before you sign a lease.
The curriculum pathway
How a child progresses through the school, stage by stage:
- Early Years from 18 months, on the English Early Years Foundation Stage.
- Primary on the English National Curriculum.
- Key Stage 4: Edexcel (Pearson) IGCSEs, ages 14–16.
- Post-16: the school describes a sixth-form A-level route delivered through blended learning. We could not confirm from primary sources which subjects run in a given year or how the blended model is staffed, so treat this as a question for admissions rather than a settled fact — if A-levels are essential, ask before you enrol.
Accreditation & memberships
Accreditation is the closest thing to an objective quality signal in international schooling — it means an outside body has inspected governance, teaching and safeguarding. BAANLYY does not rank schools, so this is what Tara Pattana International School and its accrediting bodies publish, not our verdict:
- Part of International Schools Partnership (ISP), a global group of international schools.
- Accredited by the Education Development Trust (EDT).
- Pearson Edexcel centre for IGCSE examinations.
- LAMDA-accredited examination centre for speech and drama.
- Registered with Thailand's Ministry of Education as an international school.
Boarding and the size of the school
Boarding: A day school. TPIS does not offer boarding.
Scale: A smaller school than Regents or Rugby, with the community weighted towards families living in Pattaya itself rather than posted into the industrial corridor. We are not publishing a roll figure because we could not verify a current one. Roll and nationality figures move every year and schools report them differently — treat these as indicative and ask the admissions office for current numbers.
Who this school tends to suit
Families who want their child in school in Pattaya rather than half an hour outside it — particularly those living in Jomtien, Pratumnak, central Pattaya or Naklua, for whom the big inland campuses mean an hour in the car every day. It suits a family that wants a smaller, more personal school, and one comfortable with a British primary and IGCSE route. Families who need a guaranteed on-campus A-level or IB sixth form should confirm the post-16 arrangement carefully first, or plan on Regents, Rugby, St Andrews or ISE for the final two years.
This is our editorial read for relocation planning, not a ranking or a recommendation — and no school pays to appear on BAANLYY. Visit shortlisted campuses before you decide.
Living near Tara Pattana International School
TPIS is the one school on this list where living on the beach is actually compatible with the school run:
Confirm the bus catchment before you sign. Pattaya's international schools are strung along a 60-kilometre corridor across three districts and two provinces — Nongprue in the city, Pong and Khao Mai Kaew inland, Green Valley towards Sriracha, Bo Win beyond it and Ban Chang in Rayong. Choosing a home on the wrong side of that corridor turns a ten-minute run into a daily hour each way.
What to confirm directly with the school
BAANLYY deliberately does not publish per-school tuition figures: they change annually, schools publish their own current schedules, and a stale number is worse than none. Take this list to the admissions office:
- Exactly how the sixth form works — whether A-levels are taught on site, which subjects run this year, and how the blended-learning element is supervised. This is the single most important question to ask TPIS if your child is approaching Year 12.
- The current fee schedule — tuition, application and registration fees, any refundable deposit or capital/development levy, uniforms, lunches, the bus and trips.
- Whether the year group you need has a place, or a waitlist, for your intended start date.
- The school bus route, catchment zone and pick-up time for the exact neighbourhood you are considering — then ask what time the bus actually arrives back. On the Eastern Seaboard this is the single most important question a family can ask. Campuses are spread across three districts and two provinces, and an hour each way is entirely possible if you choose the wrong side of the city.
- Whether the drive you were quoted was measured in rush hour. Sukhumvit Road through Pattaya and the Highway 7 / Highway 36 junctions bear little resemblance at 07:30 to what a mid-morning school tour suggests.
- Entry requirements: assessments, interviews, English-language support and the school reports or transcripts you must supply.
- How far the school takes your child, and on which exam pathway — the Eastern Seaboard mixes Cambridge IGCSE and A-level, IB Diploma, American high-school diploma and the French baccalauréat, and switching between them mid-secondary is disruptive and sometimes not possible at all.
- For boarding: the weekly and flexi options actually running this year, the age they start, and the exeat and weekend arrangements.
Visit the official Tara Pattana International School website →
BAANLYY does not rank, endorse or accept payment from schools. Facts on this page are compiled from Tara Pattana International School's own official website and its accrediting bodies, and are provided for relocation planning — not as admissions or financial advice. Curricula, campuses, fees and admissions rules change; always confirm current details with the school.
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.
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