International School of Chonburi (ISC)

A primary school
with a clearer record.

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ISC's rebuilt official site now publishes three facts that materially improve the directory record: the school opened in 2009, serves ages 2-11 from Early Years 1 through Year 6, and is NEASC-accredited. The campus-specific NEASC directory confirms accredited status, initial accreditation in 2025 and a preschool/pre-kindergarten through Grade 5 scope in the American directory's terminology. That independent listing matters more than a generic accreditation logo because it names this school, this address and this status.

The curriculum claim is English National, not a Reggio label

The current home page states Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1-2. The school's philosophy describes observation, documentation, child interests and active learning, which may feel compatible with Reggio-influenced practice, but the current site does not present “Reggio Emilia” as the formal curriculum label. The old directory record did. This page now uses the narrower verified claim: English National Curriculum from EYFS through Year 6. Parents interested in a particular early-years pedagogy should ask teachers to show planning, classroom documentation and transition into Year 1 rather than relying on an inherited label.

The new lower endpoint is real, but it is part-time

The 2026/27 PDF prints ฿174,600 as the annual price for an Early Years 1 or 2 pupil attending half-day, two days per week. That is the genuine lowest tuition line and belongs in the directory range. It is not comparable to a five-day full-day place. The same age band rises to ฿244,440 for half-day five days and ฿263,646 for full-day five days. Reception is ฿295,074, Years 1-2 are ฿342,216 and Years 3-6 are ฿359,676. Every annual figure includes the school's 3% discount for paying the full year in Term 1; a family paying term by term will pay the three printed term amounts, which total about 3% more.

Entry costs are straightforward

Application is ฿3,000, registration is ฿70,000 for a first child and ฿20,000 for siblings, and annual insurance is ฿2,000. The school does not list a development levy. That makes a five-day Reception first-year baseline ฿370,074 before lunch, bus or support, using discounted annual tuition. A Years 3-6 first child begins at ฿434,676 before optional services. The distinction between a one-time charge and annual insurance is clear in the PDF and should stay clear in family budgets.

Learning support is fully priced

EAL or learning support ranges from three sessions per week at ฿21,000 annually to eight-to-ten sessions at ฿70,000. Intermediate bands are ฿35,000 and ฿49,000. The table combines English-language and learning-support wording, so families should ask exactly what assessment triggers a charge, whether it is group or individual provision, who delivers it, what qualifications staff hold, and whether the sessions replace classroom lessons. A published price is useful, but it is not evidence that every learning profile can be supported.

Transport can dominate the fee difference

Annual bus totals are approximately ฿52,580 for Zone A, ฿55,450 for Zone B, ฿72,000 for Zone C and ฿87,310 for Zone D. Zone E—Rayong or Chonburi City—is priced at ฿20,000 per month for ten months, or ฿200,000 annually. The school says it serves Chonburi, Si Racha, Laem Chabang, Pattaya, Jomtien and Rayong, but zone assignment remains the school's decision and fuel surcharges may apply. Lunch is optional and totals ฿9,360 for the lightest two-day EY choice up to ฿21,960 for five days. Ask for the exact pickup time and supervised journey, not only the annual number.

Primary-only means planning the transfer early

ISC ends after Year 6. NEASC accreditation does not create a secondary pathway, and the public site does not promise automatic entry to another school. Families should begin secondary planning in Year 4 or Year 5, identify target curricula, and ask how ISC reports attainment for transfer. An English National Curriculum record may align naturally with a British secondary, but admissions tests, EAL expectations, deposits and place availability still apply. The relevant comparisons include BPIS for a lower-cost British secondary, MIS or TPIS for through-school continuity, and Regents for a larger premium campus.

Who should shortlist it

ISC suits families who value a small primary community, an English National sequence, transparent fees and campus-specific NEASC recognition. It may be less suitable for families wanting a through-school, boarding, a large secondary facilities programme or a guaranteed specialist-support place. Before paying, request the exact attendance pattern, undiscouned term total, class size, teacher qualifications, support decision, bus zone and Year 6 transfer record. The corrected record makes ISC easier to evaluate because the fee, accreditation and curriculum descriptions now match the current primary sources.

Annual-discount figures need a term-payment cross-check

The “per year” column is explicitly inclusive of a 3% annual-payment discount. For Years 3-6, the three term invoices are ฿156,560, ฿117,420 and ฿96,820, totalling ฿370,800; the discounted annual column is ฿359,676. The discount is therefore ฿11,124. Reception term charges total ฿304,200 against a discounted ฿295,074. A family unable to pay a full year before the Term 1 due date should budget from the term columns, not the headline annual band. Ask whether registration, support, meals or transport receive any comparable discount; the PDF applies the 3% wording to tuition.

Age placement is printed in the fee document

On 1 September, Early Years 1 corresponds to age two, Early Years 2 to age three, Reception to age four, Year 1 to age five and Year 6 to age ten. The site describes an overall age range of two to eleven because pupils can turn eleven during Year 6. This distinction matters when comparing with schools using a different birthday cut-off or American grade labels. Ask the school to confirm placement for the child's birth date and completed curriculum rather than using a generic online age converter.

Optional does not mean irrelevant

Lunch and transport are labelled optional, but many working families will need one or both. A five-day pupil's annual lunch total is ฿21,960. A Zone B bus is ฿55,450 for the three terms; a Zone D bus is ฿87,310. Add those to Years 1-2 tuition and a returning family can spend ฿419,626-฿451,486 before insurance or support. A first child also carries registration. The fee range remains tuition-only because that is the comparable field, while the editorial keeps realistic service costs beside it.

Accreditation scope should be read accurately

NEASC's directory describes the accredited grade span as PS/PK-5, while ISC uses British labels EY1-Year 6. These can describe the same approximate age span under different systems. The important point is that NEASC names the campus and current status, not that its US-style grade labels replace the school's curriculum. Accreditation also does not promise a particular class size, learning-support capacity or secondary placement. Those still require direct evidence.

A concrete first-year example

A new Year 4 pupil paying annually, using Zone C transport and five-day lunch begins with ฿359,676 tuition + ฿3,000 application + ฿70,000 registration + ฿2,000 insurance + ฿72,000 bus + ฿21,960 lunch, totalling ฿528,636 before learning support. If three weekly support sessions are required, the total becomes ฿549,636. This is an arithmetic illustration from the school's public table, not a binding invoice. It demonstrates why the corrected page reports both the precise tuition range and the non-tuition costs.