EDITORIAL DIRECTORY·SOURCE LINKS & CHECK DATES·FEES WHERE PUBLISHED·0 PAID PLACEMENTS
// HEAD-TO-HEAD · current source audit

BEST vs
Phoenix Wittaya.

BEST publishes ฿47,000–฿166,000/year; Phoenix publishes ฿147,600/year from Kindergarten through Secondary. Both live fee pages omit the academic year. Phoenix separately publishes Nursery at ฿12,000/month without a billed-month count, so that line is not annualised. Compare the child’s exact grade, entry costs and extras.

// 01 · Comparison table

Current record,
side by side.

BEST and Phoenix both use live school-published fee pages with no academic-year label. BEST publishes annual tuition by grade; Phoenix publishes one annual Kindergarten–Secondary figure and a separate Nursery monthly rate without a billed-month count. Request dated written quotes naming the child’s grade and every compulsory extra before comparing price.

// In this guide → BEST editorial ↗ · Phoenix Wittaya editorial ↗ · Budget schools hub ↗ · Where to live ↗ · Start Here primer ↗ · Parent FAQ ↗ · All 120 comparisons ↗

BEST vs Phoenix · standard published tuition before full-year-payment discounts (all-in rows include named mandatory charges) · fee records: BEST primary-undated, checked 29 August 2026; Phoenix primary-undated, checked 29 August 2026
DimensionBESTPhoenix Wittaya
SchoolBurapa English-Programme School of ThailandPhoenix Wittaya School
Directory tierpremium-thai-bilingualpremium-thai-bilingual
AreaBanglamung · 253/12 Moo 13, Nongprue, BanglamungPattaya · Pattaya City
Age / grade spanKindergarten 1-Secondary 62-17+
Published curriculumThai-English Bilingual EP · Thai MoEThai Basic Education Core Curriculum · Cambridge-aligned bilingual programme
Teaching languagesThai · EnglishThai · English
Accreditations recordedThai Ministry of EducationOffice of the Private Education Commission (OPEC) — listed in the official private-school database
BoardingNoNo
Published tuition range฿47,000–฿166,000/yr standard tuition฿147,600/year Kindergarten–Secondary; Nursery ฿12,000/month (billing months unstated)
Fee year / verificationprimary-undated · checked 29 August 2026primary-undated · checked 29 August 2026
Record checked2026-08-292026-08-29
Fee structure and extrasThe 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.Primary-undated: the restored official fee page publishes Nursery tuition at ฿12,000 per month and Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary tuition at ฿147,600 per year, split into two ฿73,800 terms. The page does not state an academic year or the number of Nursery months billed, so the directory does not annualise the monthly Nursery amount or label the annual tariff 2026/27. Enrolment is ฿40,000 for all ages. Books are ฿3,000 for Nursery and ฿8,000 for Kindergarten through Secondary; annual lunch is ฿5,000, ฿8,000, ฿8,000 and ฿10,000 respectively. Uniforms and sports kit, ID cards, external competitions, after-school classes and activities, excursions/camping, visa processing, bus service and accident insurance are excluded but unpriced. The page says the academic year begins in May and follows the Thai school calendar. Request a dated grade-specific quotation before paying.
Sibling discountNot published in the recordNot published in the record
Year established19972006
Student countNot school-publishedNot school-published
Campus sizeNot school-publishedNot school-published
Primary fee sourceBEST official fee/admissions sourcePhoenix official fee page — live tariff checked 29 August 2026; the page does not identify an academic year or Nursery billing-month count
Full editorialBEST → read editorialPhoenix Wittaya → read editorial
Published support-cost labelNo language- or learning-support tariff appears on the current primary-undated fee page.No language- or learning-support tariff appears on the live 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.

// 02 · The decision framework

Five questions.
Five answers.

1. Which curriculum and teaching language fit the child?

BEST publishes Thai-English Bilingual EP · Thai MoE for Kindergarten 1–Secondary 6; Phoenix Wittaya publishes the Thai Basic Education Core Curriculum with a Cambridge-aligned bilingual programme for ages 2–17+. Ask for a current weekly timetable, not only a curriculum logo, so you can see which subjects are actually taught in each language.

2. Which number belongs to the child’s exact grade?

BEST publishes ฿47,000–฿166,000/yr standard tuition; Phoenix Wittaya publishes ฿147,600/year Kindergarten–Secondary; Nursery ฿12,000/month (billing months unstated). 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.

3. Is the fee evidence current enough for a commitment?

BEST: primary-undated, checked 29 August 2026. Phoenix Wittaya: primary-undated, checked 29 August 2026. Published figures use standard 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.

4. Does the school cover the family’s full time horizon?

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. BEST: no boarding in the record. Phoenix Wittaya: no boarding in the record.

5. What belongs in the written admissions quote?

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.

Summary verdict

  • BEST deserves the shortlist when its published curriculum, age span and total grade-specific invoice fit the child.
  • Phoenix Wittaya deserves the shortlist when its published curriculum, age span and total grade-specific invoice fit better.
// FAQ

Quick answers
before you decide.

What is the biggest structural difference between these schools?

BEST publishes Thai-English Bilingual EP · Thai MoE for Kindergarten 1–Secondary 6; Phoenix Wittaya publishes the Thai Basic Education Core Curriculum with a Cambridge-aligned bilingual programme for ages 2–17+.

Which school publishes the lower tuition?

BEST publishes ฿47,000–฿166,000/yr standard tuition; Phoenix Wittaya publishes ฿147,600/year Kindergarten–Secondary; Nursery ฿12,000/month (billing months unstated). Compare the grade-specific total after mandatory registration and extras, not the endpoints alone.

Are the two fee figures directly comparable?

BEST: primary-undated, checked 29 August 2026. Phoenix Wittaya: primary-undated, checked 29 August 2026. Published figures use standard 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.

Do either of these schools offer boarding?

BEST: no boarding in the record. Phoenix Wittaya: no boarding in the record.

What should families confirm before paying?

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.

// 03 · Similar labels, different pathways

Start with the route,
not the fee image.

BEST and Phoenix both appear in bilingual and English-pathway searches, but their published records describe different systems. BEST is a Thai-English Programme from Kindergarten through Secondary 6. Phoenix is a Thai-licensed, Cambridge-aligned bilingual route through Secondary 6. Neither label alone tells a parent the exact language share, assessment system, class placement or leaving route for a child. Ask admissions to explain the proposed year group, language of core subjects, Thai requirements, English support, examinations and the next qualification the family expects.

Age span is not enough. A family moving from an international or Thai school needs to know how records are assessed, whether the child is placed by age or prior learning, and how staff support a transition in language and curriculum. Ask both schools for a child-specific placement explanation rather than assuming that a similar year label means a seamless move. Bring current reports, describe the intended start date and ask what the first term looks like.

// 04 · Read the public fees cautiously

Both schedules need
a dated confirmation.

BEST’s current image publishes no academic year. Its annualised range runs from ฿47,000 to ฿166,000 depending on stage, with combined application, registration and insurance totals listed separately. Phoenix’s published primary schedule is also undated; its kindergarten, primary and secondary information must be read with its stated attendance and fee basis. Do not treat either public number as the final invoice. Ask for the exact academic year, child’s stage, payment schedule and every compulsory extra in writing.

Use the same budget worksheet for both schools: tuition, application, registration, insurance, deposits, food, transport, books, uniforms, activities, trips, exams, support and payment dates. Mark each item as compulsory, optional, refundable, non-refundable or quote-only. BEST publishes bus and food services without current prices; Phoenix figures and service details need the same clarification. Unknown is not included. A lower annual tuition line can still create a higher first-year cash need if fees, supplies or transport are handled differently.

// 05 · Test the ordinary school day

The commute and class
must both work.

Visit the proposed year group, not only showcase facilities. Ask about arrival, collection, lunch, homework, parent communication, learning support and after-school arrangements. Test the actual route from home at school times and ask whether transport serves the address. A manageable map distance can become an unsustainable routine after activities, traffic and late collection are included.

Before accepting either place, ask one future-facing question: how does this pathway prepare the child for the intended next step? A family may value Thai-English continuity, Cambridge alignment, a particular language balance or a later university route. The right answer is the school that can explain the child’s daily fit, future pathway and complete written cost clearly—not merely the school with the smallest headline fee.

Keep the dated fee image, written admissions quote, placement confirmation and payment terms together. Recheck them whenever the year group, start date or family circumstances change.

// 06 · Turn the shortlist into two offers

Ask the same questions
at both schools.

Give admissions the child’s reports, date of birth, language profile, support needs, home address and intended start date. Ask which class is proposed, what assessment is required, whether there is a place and who coordinates the first term. Request a complete, current invoice showing tuition, entry charges, insurance, food, transport, books, uniforms, activities, examinations and support. If a service is unpriced, record it as unknown. If a charge is refundable, ask about notice and deductions.

Ask how records are issued if the family moves, how the school explains the next qualification route and how parent communication works when a child needs help. A deliberate choice is one where the language environment, pathway, commute and written cost all fit the child. Keep every current fee document, email quote, placement note and payment term before any deposit is transferred.

Before accepting, compare the same child, school year and payment basis. Confirm the class placement, language support, transportation plan and every required charge. Visit the ordinary school day, test the real route at drop-off and collection, and ask admissions to put the future transition plan in writing. Revisit the offer if the start date, year group or family circumstances change.

A family should also ask what happens if the child needs additional language or learning support after enrolment, whether the service is compulsory, who reviews it and how it is charged. Ask how the school communicates progress, handles a mid-year arrival and prepares records for a later transfer. These ordinary answers show whether the advertised pathway is practical for this child rather than merely attractive on paper.

Keep the final quote, payment terms, placement note and support plan together. Reconfirm them if anything changes before the first school day, including the child’s start date, assigned class, transport address or chosen payment arrangement.

Review all details carefully before payment.

Decide with current evidence.

Choose deliberately.

Back to
the directory.

29 school records listed. Twenty-nine full editorials live. Record dates show the latest completed check.

PATTAYA SCHOOL GUIDE · A TIMPAEMI CO. PUBLICATION · MMXXVI