RUEst. 2017 · UK sister
Premium · British · Boarding
Rugby School Thailand
Bang Lamung · 80 acres
Boarding from Year 6. A-Level. ฿345K–฿999K.
Read editorial →✓ Source-verified
// HEAD-TO-HEAD · Premium · Boarding vs day IB
Rugby vs St Andrew's.
Rugby’s 2026/27 standard tuition is ฿345,000–฿999,000; St Andrew’s is ฿213,000–฿867,500. Rugby adds boarding from Year 6 and an A-Level exit; St Andrew’s is day-only with IBDP and a Dutch stream. Both ranges are standard published tuition before optional discounts.
// Jump to → Rugby Thailand editorial ↗ · St Andrew's GV editorial ↗ · Rugby vs Regents ↗ · Rugby vs Highgate ↗ · ISE vs Rugby ↗ · St Andrew's vs Regents ↗
// 01 · 18-point comparison
Side by side.
Rugby and St Andrew’s both use their school-published 2026/27 fee PDFs. The table reproduces exact annual tuition, entry, transport and boarding rows without using third-party fee estimates.
// In this guide → Rugby Thailand editorial ↗ · St Andrew's GV editorial ↗ · Rugby vs Regents ↗ · Rugby vs Highgate ↗ · ISE vs Rugby ↗ · St Andrew's vs Regents ↗ · British schools hub ↗ · Boarding schools hub ↗
| Dimension | Rugby (Bang Lamung) | St Andrew's GV (Rayong) |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 (Rugby School UK sister · Warwickshire est. 1567) | 1997 |
| Address | Bang Lamung, Chonburi — ~20 min from central Pattaya · 80-acre campus | 1 Moo 7, Banchang-Makham Koo Road, Ban Chang, Rayong (~30 min from Pattaya · near U-Tapao) |
| Age range | 2–18 (Pre-Nursery → Year 13 A-Level · full through-school) | 2–18 (Nursery → Year 13 IBDP · full through-school) |
| Secondary on campus | Yes — IGCSE → Cambridge A-Level on same campus (A-Level only at Sixth Form) | Yes — IGCSE → IB Diploma on same campus (IBDP-only at Sixth Form) |
| Early Years philosophy | British EYFS on 80-acre estate | British EYFS + Forest School + eco-literacy embedded |
| Primary curriculum | British National Curriculum | British NC + IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) |
| Language model | English-medium · Thai · Mandarin | English-medium · Dutch lessons (Reception→secondary) · Thai · Mandarin |
| Accreditation | Rugby School Group (UK) sister institution | EDT Silver · Cognita Schools · IBO |
| Class size / scale | 80-acre purpose-built campus · 4 pools incl. 50m Olympic · 55,000m² pitch space | ~450 students · 30 rai campus — verify cohort sizes on tour |
| Annual tuition (published) | ฿345,000–999,000/yr (rugbyschool.ac.th · tuition only · boarding extra) | ฿213,000–867,500/yr published fee band (2026/27 PDF · standrewsgreenvalley.com) |
| Nursery / EY tuition | ฿345,000/yr Pre-Nursery/Nursery half-day · ฿688,000 Reception | ฿213,000/yr Nursery three half-days |
| Year 1 / KS1 tuition | ฿736,000/yr (Years 1–2) | ฿632,000/yr (Years 1–2) |
| Year 7 / KS3 tuition | ฿868,000/yr (Years 7–8) | ฿776,500/yr (Years 7–9) |
| One-time admission | ฿5,500 application · ฿200,000 acceptance · ฿100,000 refundable student deposit; boarding adds a ฿20,000 expenses deposit | ฿5,000 application · ฿55,000 entrance (Nursery–Reception) or ฿100,000 (Y1–13); alternatively ฿20,000/term capital levy for six terms |
| Transport | Tariff not published; request a written quote | ฿57,000–฿89,500/year two-way; one-way service is 75% of the applicable rate |
| Boarding | From Year 6 · ฿285,100 part, ฿417,700 weekly or ฿493,800 full per year (+ ฿20,000 expenses deposit) | Day school only — no boarding |
| Sixth Form pathway | Cambridge A-Level only — no IB Diploma · Y12–13 ฿999,000/yr | IB Diploma only — no A-Level alternative (฿867,500/yr Y13 IBDP published) |
| Live editorial | Rugby → read editorial | St Andrew's → read editorial |
| Published support-cost label | Combined school label — “EAL & SfL Fees: English as an Additional Language and Support for Learning”; ฿5,500–฿70,000/term. | Separate charges — EAL: ฿100,000/year; LEAP: ฿175,000/year; assessed learning support is separate, with LSA options of ฿186,067 shared or ฿372,134 full-time. |
Fee comparison is asymmetric in precision and structure: Rugby publishes exact year-by-year tuition on rugbyschool.ac.th but boarding fees are published in the current schedule — add boarding on top for boarders. St Andrew's publishes published fee bands (฿213K Nursery 3 half-day, ฿632K Year 1, ฿776.5K Year 7, ฿867.5K Y13) plus one-time fees; download the 2026/27 PDF before budgeting. Rugby is higher at every overlapping band — Year 1 alone is ฿711K vs St Andrew's ฿632K published (~฿351K gap). Rugby's ฿200,000 non-refundable acceptance fee is the steepest one-time charge in the directory. St Andrew's is lower at entry and at Sixth Form top-end (฿999K A-Level vs ฿868K IBDP published). Rugby sibling discount: 5% 3rd · 10% 4th+. St Andrew's sibling discount not published — verify on tour. Add bus to both for day students — typically ฿55K–95K/yr per child on Pattaya routes.
// 02 · The decision framework
Five questions.
Five answers.
1. Do you need boarding — or is a day school enough?
Rugby offers boarding from Year 6 at ฿285,100 part, ฿417,700 weekly or ฿493,800 full per year, plus a ฿20,000 expenses deposit. St Andrew’s is a day school. Compare the required residential basis and transport before choosing.
2. A-Level at Sixth Form — or IB Diploma?
Rugby runs Cambridge A-Level only at Sixth Form — no IB Diploma option. Pure British exam culture, Rugby UK sister-school pedigree, sport-academic integration on the largest campus in the directory. St Andrew's runs IB Diploma only at Sixth Form — no A-Level alternative — with IB Primary Years embedded from primary through IGCSE. If your child is committed to A-Level and UK university credentials, Rugby. If IB Diploma continuity from early years matters, St Andrew's. These pathways do not converge at age 16 — choose before Year 7 if possible.
3. Rugby brand + 80-acre sport estate — or Cognita forest-school IB PYP?
Rugby is built around the "whole person" model — four pools including a 50m Olympic-size pool in the Webb Ellis Centre, FIBA-standard courts, 55,000m² of pitch space, and the Rugby School Group brand (where the sport was invented). Facilities and competitive sport are central to campus identity. St Andrew's leans Forest School outdoor pedagogy, eco-literacy projects, and IB PYP philosophy on a 30-rai Cognita campus (~450 students). If your child thrives on sport-heavy English-public-school atmosphere, Rugby. If ecology-curious outdoor learning and IB PYP continuity fit better, St Andrew's.
4. Pattaya-side Bang Lamung (~20 min) — or Rayong daily commute (~30 min)?
Rugby sits in Bang Lamung — typically ~20 minutes from central Pattaya, Pattaya-side for families in Jomtien, Naklua, or Bang Lamung itself. St Andrew's sits in Banchang, Rayong — ~30 minutes south, often smoother for families already in Rayong or near U-Tapao. For day students, Rugby saves ~10 minutes each way versus St Andrew's — meaningful over a school year. For boarders, commute is irrelevant; Rugby wins on proximity for weekend family visits from Pattaya.
5. Can your budget absorb Rugby's top-end fees and ฿200K acceptance?
Rugby tops the directory at ฿999,000/yr A-Level tuition plus a ฿200,000 non-refundable acceptance fee — before boarding. Over a six-year secondary journey, the cumulative premium versus St Andrew's published ฿868K IBDP band is substantial. St Andrew's offers lower entry (฿213K published Nursery vs Rugby Pre-Nursery half-day ฿345K) and lower Sixth Form top-end — but requires the Rayong commute and accepts published fee bands until you download the 2026/27 PDF. If budget at Sixth Form is the deciding factor, St Andrew's is structurally cheaper. If budget is not the constraint and boarding + A-Level brand matter most, Rugby.
Summary verdict
- Choose Rugby School Thailand if: you need boarding from Year 6; Cambridge A-Level (not IB Diploma) is the right Sixth Form path; the Rugby UK brand and 80-acre sport estate matter; a Pattaya-side Bang Lamung location beats a Rayong daily commute; and budget comfortably absorbs ฿999K/yr plus ฿200K acceptance (plus boarding fees).
- Choose St Andrew's Green Valley if: you want IB Primary Years + Diploma without boarding; Dutch language and culture lessons matter; Forest School and eco-literacy ethos suit your child; lower top-end fees (฿868K published vs Rugby's ฿999K) fit your budget; and you accept a Rayong daily commute for Cognita network portability.
Neither fits — if…
You need boarding with IB Diploma optionality — see Rugby vs Regents or St Andrew's vs Regents. You want Rayong IB day without Rugby's fee band — see Garden vs St Andrew's. You need American + IB Diploma — see ISE vs St Andrew's.
// 03 · final pathway check
A-Level direction.
Or an IB through-line.
Rugby and St Andrew’s both provide established British-school environments, but their post-16 routes, boarding availability and complete cost structures need to be matched to one child’s present year and likely destination.
Confirm subjects, not just qualifications
Ask Rugby for the A-Level subjects expected to run for the child’s cohort, timetable constraints and minimum class sizes. Ask St Andrew’s for the IB Diploma subjects and levels expected to be available, plus how its inquiry-based IB Primary Years foundation connects to later British and IB stages. Request current guidance examples tied to the child’s likely university system.
For a younger pupil, observe the actual offered class before weighting a distant qualification. Compare current work, teacher feedback, group organisation and progress reporting. Record how each school supports a child who needs more structure, language help or greater challenge.
Reconcile the complete invoices
Obtain dated, year-specific quotations and compare standard tuition with standard tuition before applying any payment reduction. Add application, entrance or registration, deposits, meals, transport, books, uniform, devices, trips, examinations, activities and support. Separate the acceptance-stage amount, complete first year and recurring year, then record due dates and refund exposure.
St Andrew’s publishes entrance-fee and capital-levy alternatives, a refundable general deposit, separate EAL or LEAP charges, transport zones and optional meals. Use the option that matches the family’s likely stay and the child’s needs. Ask Rugby for its equivalent child-specific lines. Boarding belongs in the calculation only when the child will use it.
Test boarding and day routines separately
Rugby offers boarding; St Andrew’s current record is a day-school offer. If boarding is relevant, inspect Rugby’s weekday, weekend, holiday, medical and parent-contact routines and price every inclusion. Then compare that lived schedule with the St Andrew’s day commute, not with a zero-travel assumption. If both options are day attendance, remove boarding from the decision score.
Use the real family week
Drive both routes at school times and include work, siblings and activities. Obtain exact bus timing, supervision and price if transport is considered. Place term dates, closures and care coverage beside the family calendar. St Andrew’s Dutch Stream should affect the comparison only if the child is eligible and the family intends to use it; confirm its current timetable and entry arrangements.
Finish with one written record covering exact placement, cohort-level subject availability, classroom evidence, complete costs, support, boarding or commute and the next pathway checkpoint. Resolve any missing fee or subject commitment before paying.
// FAQ
Quick answers
before you decide.
Which has boarding?
Rugby offers boarding from Year 6. St Andrew's Green Valley is a day school with no published boarding programme.
Which offers IB Diploma?
St Andrew's only. Rugby runs British through Cambridge A-Level. St Andrew's runs IB PYP through IB Diploma.
Which is cheaper at Sixth Form?
St Andrew's published Y13 IBDP tops out around ฿868K versus Rugby A-Level at ฿999K published tuition (plus boarding fees for Rugby boarders). Rugby also charges a ฿200K non-refundable acceptance fee.
Which is closer to Pattaya city?
Rugby in Bang Lamung is typically ~20 minutes from central Pattaya. St Andrew's in Banchang, Rayong is ~30 minutes. Rugby is Pattaya-side; St Andrew's requires a Rayong daily commute.
Which has a Dutch stream?
St Andrew's Green Valley publishes Dutch language and culture lessons from Reception through secondary, with CNaVT and IBDP Dutch routes. The school calls it the Eastern Seaboard's only Dutch Stream; it is not a full Dutch-medium curriculum. Rugby does not publish comparable Dutch instruction.
Back to
the directory.
29 schools verified. Twenty-nine full editorials live. Maintained, not abandoned.