Start with structure, then compare price. EFIP publishes French National Curriculum (maternelle → terminale) · Baccalauréat général · FLSCO (French as Language of Schooling) bridge class for non-native French speakers for 3-18; BEST publishes Thai-English Bilingual EP · Thai MoE for Kindergarten 1-Secondary 6. The table below uses the current directory records and preserves any “primary-undated” or unavailable outcome instead of converting it into an estimate.
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Fee and programme claims were reconciled to the school records on 24 July 2026. A missing fee remains missing; an undated school schedule remains undated.
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| Dimension | EFIP | BEST |
|---|---|---|
| School | École Française Internationale de Pattaya | Burapa English-Programme School of Thailand |
| Directory tier | specialist-french | premium-thai-bilingual |
| Area | Banglamung · Huai Yai, east of Pattaya (NOT central Pattaya) | Banglamung · 253/12 Moo 13, Nongprue, Banglamung |
| Age / grade span | 3-18 | Kindergarten 1-Secondary 6 |
| Published curriculum | French National Curriculum (maternelle → terminale) · Baccalauréat général · FLSCO (French as Language of Schooling) bridge class for non-native French speakers | Thai-English Bilingual EP · Thai MoE |
| Teaching languages | French (medium) · English · Thai · Chinese · Spanish | Thai · English |
| Accreditations recorded | AEFE partner school — 9 currently homologated levels on the official 2026 directory · French Ministry of National Education — homologated programme levels · EFE3D Level 2 (school-published label, 2024-2028) | Thai Ministry of Education |
| Boarding | No | No |
| Published tuition range | ฿175,000–฿235,000/yr standard tuition | ฿47,000–฿166,000/yr standard tuition |
| Fee year / verification | 2026/27 · checked 27 July 2026 | primary-undated · checked 27 July 2026 |
| Record checked | 2026-07-29 | 2026-07-29 |
| Fee structure and extras | School-published 2026/27 annual tuition: Nursery, Reception and Year 1 ฿175,000; Years 2-6 ฿200,000; Years 7-10 ฿215,000; Year 11 ฿220,000; Years 12-13 ฿235,000. Mandatory entry/annual charges: first registration ฿50,000, annual administration ฿5,000 and new-student uniform package ฿4,000. Intensive French adds ฿20,000 where required. Years 7-9 books add ฿8,000-฿13,000; CNED adds ฿39,000 in Year 10 and ฿48,000 in high school; DNB and baccalaureate examination fees are billed separately but not priced. Annual bus ฿46,000 round trip or ฿35,000 one way; meals ฿12,960-฿18,000; Wednesday-activity meal surcharge ฿648-฿705 per period where applicable. Education-visa support is ฿5,000 per child and ฿5,000 for one attached parent, excluding external visa/legalisation costs. Tuition discount: 10% for the second child and 15% for the third and subsequent children. Extracurricular activities are additional but unpriced. Once a term or service period has started it is fully due; ordinary absences do not create a refund or partial deduction. | The school's current fee image publishes no academic year. Annualised tuition from the two term columns is: Kindergarten 1-2 ฿47,000; Kindergarten 3 ฿55,000; Primary 1-3 ฿72,000; Primary 4-6 ฿84,000; Secondary 1-3 ฿133,000; Secondary 4-6 ฿166,000. The separate combined application/registration/insurance column is ฿17,570 for Kindergarten (฿200 + ฿15,500 + ฿1,870), ฿22,070 for Primary (฿200 + ฿20,000 + ฿1,870) and ฿32,365 for Secondary (฿200 + ฿30,000 + ฿2,165). The school publishes bus and food services but no current prices for them. Uniform, books, activities and examinations are not priced on the fee page. Treat the schedule as primary-undated and request the applicable academic year in writing. |
| Sibling discount | Published — see school record | Not published in the record |
| Year established | 2018 | 1997 |
| Student count | Not school-published | Not school-published |
| Campus size | ~2 hectares | Not school-published |
| Primary fee source | https://www.ecolepattaya.com/en/admission | https://www.burapha.ac.th/tuition-fees/ |
| Full editorial | EFIP → read editorial | BEST → read editorial |
| Published support-cost label | Language support only — intensive French supplement for non-French-speaking pupils: ฿20,000; no general learning-support tariff is published. | No language- or learning-support tariff appears on the current primary-undated fee page. |
Do not compare the lowest and highest numbers as though they cover the same grade. Read each school’s fee-structure row, then request the exact grade invoice. Registration, meals, transport, books, support and external examinations can materially change the first-year and recurring totals.
EFIP publishes French National Curriculum (maternelle → terminale) · Baccalauréat général · FLSCO (French as Language of Schooling) bridge class for non-native French speakers for 3-18; BEST publishes Thai-English Bilingual EP · Thai MoE for Kindergarten 1-Secondary 6. Ask for a current weekly timetable, not only a curriculum logo, so you can see which subjects are actually taught in each language.
EFIP publishes ฿175,000–฿235,000/yr standard tuition; BEST publishes ฿47,000–฿166,000/yr standard tuition. Compare the grade-specific total after mandatory registration and extras, not the endpoints alone. If the range covers very different ages, the child’s own row matters more than either endpoint.
EFIP: 2026/27, checked 27 July 2026. BEST: primary-undated, checked 27 July 2026. The comparison uses standard published tuition before full-year-payment discounts; discounted figures are labelled as such. A primary-undated schedule is school-published but cannot safely be assigned to an academic year. Save the dated school document or email alongside the offer.
Compare each published age span with the year your child needs. If either school ends before graduation, shortlist the next school and price that transition now. EFIP: no boarding in the record. BEST: no boarding in the record.
Ask both schools for a dated, grade-specific invoice separating tuition, registration, deposit, meals, transport, books, uniforms, support and examination charges. Also confirm the teaching language, qualification route and next transfer point in writing.
EFIP publishes French National Curriculum (maternelle → terminale) · Baccalauréat général · FLSCO (French as Language of Schooling) bridge class for non-native French speakers for 3-18; BEST publishes Thai-English Bilingual EP · Thai MoE for Kindergarten 1-Secondary 6.
EFIP publishes ฿175,000–฿235,000/yr standard tuition; BEST publishes ฿47,000–฿166,000/yr standard tuition. Compare the grade-specific total after mandatory registration and extras, not the endpoints alone.
EFIP: 2026/27, checked 27 July 2026. BEST: primary-undated, checked 27 July 2026. The comparison uses standard published tuition before full-year-payment discounts; discounted figures are labelled as such. A primary-undated schedule is school-published but cannot safely be assigned to an academic year.
EFIP: no boarding in the record. BEST: no boarding in the record.
Ask both schools for a dated, grade-specific invoice separating tuition, registration, deposit, meals, transport, books, uniforms, support and examination charges. Also confirm the teaching language, qualification route and next transfer point in writing.
EFIP and BEST are not two versions of the same English-medium school. EFIP publishes a French national pathway through Terminale, with AEFE-homologated named levels and CNED-supported upper grades in its record. BEST publishes a Thai-English bilingual English Programme through Secondary 6. The first decision is therefore the child’s daily language and future system, not the cheaper fee row. Ask each school how it assesses a child arriving from another curriculum, what support is available, and how its published pathway leads to the family’s intended next qualification.
For EFIP, ask how French-language readiness is assessed, how a non-native French speaker is supported and how the route continues through the upper grades. For BEST, ask how Thai and English are used in the proposed year group, how students move through secondary school and what documents or guidance support the family’s later plan. A child can be adaptable and still need a clear language-transition plan.
EFIP publishes 2026/27 tuition and separately identifies registration, administration and uniform costs. BEST’s current fee image has no academic-year label, even though it gives annualised stage figures and combined application, registration and insurance totals. Do not compare an EFIP dated annual figure with a BEST undated number as if both represent the same invoice. Confirm the exact year, payment schedule, entry charges, transport, food, books, uniforms, activities, examinations and support in writing.
Use one worksheet for both schools. Mark each item as compulsory, optional, refundable, non-refundable or quote-only. BEST publishes bus and food services without current prices; EFIP also has costs outside core tuition. Unknown is not included. Ask about deposit or registration refund terms, notice periods and whether a child joining mid-year is billed differently. The family needs the complete first-year cash requirement, not only a tuition range.
Test the actual commute at drop-off and collection, ask whether transport serves the home address and see the child’s likely year group. Ask how teachers communicate with parents, how a new child is introduced to the classroom language, who coordinates support and what happens after activities. A school decision should survive an ordinary Tuesday, not only an open-day visit.
Before paying any deposit, give both admissions teams the child’s reports, date of birth, language profile, support needs and intended start date. Ask for the proposed class, current fee year, placement process, full payment terms and future-transition plan. Keep the dated fee document, email quote and placement confirmation together. The right choice is the route whose language, future pathway, daily journey and complete written cost fit this child—not merely the lowest headline price.
Ask each school to state the child’s proposed class, language assessment, start-date options and first-term support in writing. Request the complete invoice: tuition, application, registration, administration, insurance, deposits, meals, transport, books, uniform, activities, trips, examinations and learning support. If an item is not priced, mark it quote-only. If it is refundable, ask when and under what deductions. If the child is joining after the normal start date, ask how fees and placement are handled.
Ask the future question before enrolling. Which record will the family receive if it moves? How does the school explain the next stage of its French-national or Thai-English route? Who helps parents understand subject choice, language expectations and later applications? The answer does not need to promise a future outcome, but it should make the pathway understandable.
Recheck the current offer when the start date, class placement, transport address or family plan changes. A deliberate decision uses the same child, exact year, payment basis and written evidence at both schools.
Do not assume a lower annual tuition figure covers the same hours, language support, supplies, examinations or future-transfer needs. Visit the proposed class, test the ordinary commute and ask admissions to identify every required item before payment. Keep fee documents, quotations, placement notes and payment terms together, then review them whenever a practical detail changes.
Ask again if placement, terms, fees, transport or family circumstances change before the child begins.
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