International schools in Bangkok for Australians

Short answer: there's one Australian-curriculum school in Bangkok, and it switches to Cambridge exams in the senior years. Most Aussie families end up choosing between it and a British or IB school near where they want to live.

The short version

The Australian International School Bangkok (AISB) teaches the Australian Curriculum in the early and primary years, then moves to Cambridge IGCSE and A Levels [1].
AISB's 2026/2027 tuition runs from 413,000 baht a year in Foundation to 554,000 baht in Years 11 and 12, plus a 90,000 baht registration fee [2].
Bangkok's international schools offer American, British and IB programmes plus national curricula including Australia's, and every one must be accredited by an approved overseas agency by its fifth year [3].
No Bangkok school offers the HSC, VCE or another state Year 12 certificate, so plan the senior years early if you might move home.
Location matters as much as curriculum. A school across town can mean two hours a day in traffic.

The Australian International School Bangkok

AISB opened in 2002 and has more than 800 students from over 60 countries [1]. It has two campuses on the Sukhumvit side of the city [1]:

Soi 20 campus (Early Years): 162/2 Soi Sukhumvit 20, Khlong Toei, for nursery to Year 1 [1][2].
Soi 31 campus (Primary and Secondary): 319 Soi Sukhumvit 31, Watthana, for Foundation to Year 12 [1][2].

Both are close to BTS Asok and Phrom Phong, in the same area many Australian families rent.

What "Australian" means here

The school describes its pathway as "Australian Curriculum to Cambridge IGCSE & A Level" [1]. In practice:

Early years and primary: the Australian Curriculum, with year levels named the way you know them (Foundation, Year 1, Year 2).
Middle secondary: Cambridge IGCSE. AISB published a 99.6% IGCSE pass rate for 2026 [1].
Final years: Cambridge A Levels, with a 95% A Level pass rate published for 2026 [1].

The school lists Cambridge International Education and the Council of International Schools among its partners, and it is a member of ISAT, the International Schools Association of Thailand [1][4].

The upside for Aussie kids is familiarity: the same year names, a similar primary curriculum and a cohort that includes other Australians. The trade-off is that the final exams are British, not Australian. Australian universities accept A Levels for admission, but check the specific course and subject requirements with the university you have in mind.

AISB fees for 2026/2027

AISB publishes its fees in full, which not all Bangkok schools do. For the Soi 31 campus [2]:

Year level	Annual tuition 2026/2027 (THB)
Foundation	413,000
Year 1	467,000
Year 2	484,000
Years 3–4	505,000
Years 5–6	522,000
Years 7–8	532,000
Years 9–10	542,000
Years 11–12	554,000
Application and assessment fee (once)	4,000
Registration fee (once, non-refundable)	90,000

The annual figures include a 5% discount for paying the full year up front [2]. Years 7 to 9 also pay a 10,000 baht camp deposit [2]. Nursery to Year 1 at the Soi 20 campus has a separate fee schedule [2]. Uniforms, buses, excursions and lunches cost extra at most schools, so ask for a full list.

The alternatives Australian families look at

ISAT member schools offer American, British and IB programmes, as well as national curricula from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, India and Singapore [3]. For an Australian family, the realistic shortlist usually looks like this:

Type	Examples in Bangkok	Area	Senior qualification	Fit for Aussie families
Australian	Australian International School Bangkok	Sukhumvit Sois 20 and 31	Cambridge A Levels [1]	Familiar primary years
British	Bangkok Patana School; Shrewsbury International School; Harrow International School Bangkok	Bang Na; riverside Charoen Krung; Don Mueang	A Levels or IB Diploma, depending on school	Large campuses, familiar term structure for some
IB	NIST International School; KIS International School	Sukhumvit Soi 15; Huai Khwang	IB Diploma	Well regarded by Australian universities
American	International School Bangkok (ISB); Ruamrudee International School	Nichada Thani, Nonthaburi; Min Buri	US high school diploma, AP and/or IB	Suits families heading to the US

We haven't listed fees for these schools because they change every year and not all publish them in the same way. Ask each school for its current tuition plus any one-off application, registration or capital fees, and compare the total cost over the years your children will be there.

Sukhumvit vs the north and east

The map matters more than the brochure:

Sukhumvit and central Bangkok (AISB, NIST) suit families who want to live in condos near the BTS and walk or take a short taxi ride to school.
Bang Na and the south-east (Bangkok Patana) suit families after houses with gardens in the Bang Na and Srinakarin areas.
The north (ISB at Nichada Thani, Harrow near Don Mueang) means suburban living in gated estates and a long trip into town.
The riverside (Shrewsbury) suits families renting along Charoen Krung and Sathorn.

Most families choose the school first, then rent within 20 minutes of it. Bangkok traffic is not forgiving.

Accreditation: what to check

Thailand's rules are stricter than many parents expect. ISAT says international schools in Thailand must hold a licence from the Ministry of Education, and by law every international school must gain accreditation from an approved overseas agency by the end of its fifth year, as well as go through Thailand's national quality assessment, ONESQA [3].

Before you sign:

Ask which agency accredits the school and when it was last reviewed.
Ask whether it's an ISAT member. It isn't compulsory, but members must be licensed [3].
Check exam boards. Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel, the IB and the College Board publish lists of authorised schools.
Ask about learning support. Support for additional needs is often limited and charged extra. AISB says it considers special educational needs case by case [4].

Admissions: when to start

Bangkok's popular schools fill up, especially in the younger years. A practical timeline:

Six to twelve months out: shortlist three schools near the areas you'd consider renting in.
Book tours or open days. AISB runs open days and tours booked through its website [1]. Video tours work if you're still in Australia.
Apply and pay the assessment fee. Expect school reports from the last two years, a passport copy and sometimes an entry assessment or interview.
Pay the registration fee to secure the place. At AISB that's 90,000 baht and non-refundable [2].
Line up the visa. Children usually go on a parent's dependant visa. Check with the school how it handles student visas if needed.
Sort the timing. Most British, American and IB schools in Bangkok run an August-to-June year, so a child leaving an Australian school mid-year may join a Bangkok class mid-way through its year. Check AISB's calendar for its term dates.

Ask about waitlists, sibling priority and the refund policy if your posting is cut short.

Coming home: transferring back to Australian schools

The question most Aussie parents ask too late: what happens when we move back?

Primary years are easy. Australian state schools place children by age, and an Australian-curriculum or British primary background transfers smoothly.
Years 10 to 12 are harder. Joining mid-way through the HSC, VCE, QCE or WACE can mean repeating subjects or missing prerequisites. Many families time the move home before Year 11, or keep their child on the IB Diploma or A Levels to the end.
Keep records. Ask for reports, curriculum outlines and any learning support plans in English before you leave. Your new school will want them.
Think about university entry early. Australian universities admit students with A Levels and the IB Diploma, but each converts results differently. Check entry requirements before choosing subjects in Year 10.

Want to hear what other Aussie families chose and why? Join Cooee Thailand, our Facebook group for Australians in Thailand.

International schools in Bangkok: the Australian school and the alternatives