Phuket has one of Thailand's strongest international-school clusters outside Bangkok — British, IB, American, French, Finnish and Montessori, two of them with boarding. Fees range from about ฿150,000 to ฿950,000 a year. Here is the honest map: who's who, where they are, what they cost, and the extras nobody quotes up front.
Annual tuition only, 2025/26. Fees rise steeply from early years (the low figure) to senior/IB years (the high figure). Always confirm the current figure on each school's own fee page before deciding.
| School | Area | Curriculum | Ages | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British International School (BISP) | Koh Kaew | British → IB; boarding | 3–18 | ฿470k–936k |
| UWC Thailand | Thalang | Full IB; boarding | 2–18 | ฿497k–904k |
| HeadStart International | Town + Cherng Talay | British | 2–18 | ฿347k–491k |
| Berda Claude (BCIS) | Chalong | British + French | 2–18 | ฿282k–469k |
| Kajonkiet International (KIS) | Kathu | British | 2–18 | ฿185k–440k |
| QSI International | Kathu | American + AP | 2–18 | ฿190k–452k* |
| Oak Meadow International | Phuket | American | 3–18 | ฿231k–378k |
| Lighthouse International | Phuket | British / Canadian | 2–18 | ฿240k–368k |
| Finnway International | Phuket | Finnish | 2–12 | ฿264k–351k |
| Montessori House | Chalong | Montessori | 3–12 | ฿241k–306k |
| International School of Phuket | Phuket | British (Cambridge) | 5–14 | ฿165k–198k |
| Life School Phuket | Thalang | British (alternative) | 3–18 | ฿150k–225k |
*QSI fees are not officially published — figure is approximate; confirm with the school. Two premium schools are opening for 2026 — NLCS Phuket (North London Collegiate, Cherng Talay, day + boarding) and Glenalmond Phuket (Thanyapura) — worth contacting if you want the newest capacity.
Tuition is only part of it. Budget for these on top, per child:
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | ฿5,000–10,000 | One-off, non-refundable |
| Enrolment / registration | ฿30,000–100,000 | One-off, non-refundable |
| Refundable deposit / capital levy | ฿25,000–220,000 | The big one — often refundable on departure |
| School bus | ฿60,000–100,000/yr | Optional |
| Lunch | ฿25,000–45,000/yr | Included at some schools (HeadStart, BCIS) |
| Exam fees (IGCSE / IB) | ฿25,000–35,000 | In the exam year |
Sibling discounts are common (typically 5–15% for the second child onward). For two children at a mid-tier school, a realistic all-in figure once you add enrolment, deposit, bus and lunch is ฿1,000,000–2,400,000 per year. Model your own numbers with the calculator on the Phuket planner.
Cross-island school runs are long, so families pick housing near the chosen school. The northwest (Cherng Talay, Bang Tao, Surin, Layan) serves UWC Thailand and HeadStart's Cherng Talay campus and is the dominant expat-family corridor. Central (Kathu, Koh Kaew, Phuket Town) serves BISP, KIS and QSI. The south (Chalong, Rawai) serves BCIS and several boutique schools. Read the trade-offs in our neighbourhoods guide.
International-school demand is spreading from Bangkok to Phuket, and popular year-groups (early years and Year 7 entry especially) fill ahead of the school year. No school publishes hard waitlist numbers, so contact admissions directly for live availability and apply well before you plan to move.
Annual tuition ranges from about THB 150,000 at budget British schools to THB 900,000+ at the flagship BISP and UWC Thailand in senior/IB years. Most mid-tier schools sit around THB 250,000–490,000. On top of tuition, budget for enrolment, a refundable deposit, bus, lunch and exam fees — for two children, all-in cost is often THB 1,000,000–2,400,000 per year.
BISP (British curriculum to IGCSE then IB Diploma, with boarding) and UWC Thailand (the island's only full-IB continuum, also with boarding) are the two flagships. HeadStart, BCIS, KIS and QSI are well-established mid-tier options across British, French and American curricula. The right one depends on curriculum, budget and which area you'll live in.
Yes. UWC Thailand offers the full IB continuum (PYP/MYP/DP) and BISP runs the IB Diploma in the final two years. Both BISP and UWC offer boarding — the main boarding options on the island — and two more premium schools (NLCS Phuket and Glenalmond) are opening for 2026.
Families generally rent near their chosen school because cross-island commutes are long. The northwest (Cherng Talay, Bang Tao, Surin) serves UWC and HeadStart-Cherng Talay; central Kathu, Koh Kaew and Phuket Town serve BISP, KIS and QSI; and Chalong serves BCIS.