VSIBDP
Comparison · IB Diploma
Garden vs. Regents
Rayong vs Pattaya IBDP
CIS + FOBISIA vs Nord Anglia network. Published 100% Diploma pass rate vs IBDP+A-Level optionality.
// HEAD-TO-HEAD · current source audit
Garden Rayong vs
Phoenix Wittaya.
The published figures use different year bases and pathways. Garden Rayong publishes a British IGCSE-to-IB route and 2026/27 tuition of ฿147,000–฿609,800. Phoenix Wittaya's restored, undated fee page publishes ฿147,600 a year from Kindergarten through Secondary, plus ฿40,000 enrolment; Nursery is ฿12,000 a month with billed months unstated. Compare the child’s exact grade and every extra.
// Jump to → GIS Rayong editorial ↗ · Phoenix Wittaya editorial ↗ · British schools hub ↗ · IB Diploma hub ↗ · Boarding schools hub ↗ · Boarding price guide ↗
// 01 · current record
Shared age range.
Different system.
Both schools publish provision from the early years through secondary, but they are not interchangeable. Garden follows British stages through Cambridge IGCSE and the IB Diploma. Phoenix Wittaya follows Thailand's Basic Education Core Curriculum with a bilingual programme the school describes as Cambridge-aligned; that wording is not treated as independent Cambridge accreditation.
// In this guide → GIS Rayong editorial ↗ · Phoenix Wittaya editorial ↗ · British schools hub ↗ · IB Diploma hub ↗ · Boarding schools hub ↗ · Boarding price guide ↗ · Budget schools hub ↗ · Where to live ↗
// 01A · Comparison table
| Dimension | Garden Rayong | Phoenix Wittaya School |
|---|---|---|
| School | Garden International School, Rayong | Phoenix Wittaya School |
| Age span | Ages 2–18; Nursery through Year 13 | Homepage says ages 2–15; detailed placement runs through age 17+/Year 13 and Secondary 6 |
| Curriculum | British EYFS and National Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE and IB Diploma | Thai Basic Education Core Curriculum with a school-described Cambridge-aligned bilingual programme |
| Published tuition | 2026/27: Nursery ฿147,000–฿268,500; FS1–2 up to ฿385,800; Years 1–2 ฿418,500; Years 3–6 ฿447,300; Years 7–9 ฿496,800; Year 10 ฿500,100; Year 11 ฿495,400; Years 12–13 ฿609,800. | Primary-undated: Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary ฿147,600/year; Nursery ฿12,000/month with billed months unstated. |
| Named extras | Application ฿5,000; enrolment ฿60,000–฿120,000; refundable deposit ฿40,000; transport, boarding, visa documents, trips and compulsory support separate. | Enrolment ฿40,000; books ฿3,000–฿8,000; lunch ฿5,000–฿10,000. Uniforms, IDs, competitions, after-school provision, trips, visa, bus and insurance are excluded but unpriced. |
| Planning point | Fee tariff is 2026/27; request a dated enrolling-year quote and reconcile optional boarding. | Confirm the tariff year, billed Nursery months, current upper age/grade and what Cambridge-aligned means for examinations and credentials. |
| Sources | school overview · 2026/27 fees | live fee page · school overview · age placement · secondary programme · OPEC listing |
| Published support-cost label | Combined fee label — “Compulsory EAL/Learning Support”; amount on request in the 2026/27 fee source. | No language- or learning-support tariff appears on the live primary-undated fee page. |
| Live editorial | Read the Garden Rayong editorial | Read the Phoenix Wittaya editorial |
Garden publishes dated 2026/27 figures; Phoenix publishes an undated live tariff. Request Garden’s enrolling-year tuition, entry, resources, meals, support, transport and boarding rows alongside a Phoenix quote that confirms the tariff year, Nursery billing months, tuition, entry charges, meals, books, transport, insurance, uniforms, activities, examinations, support and refund terms.
// 02 · decision framework
Verify the pathway,
then price the year.
What is actually published?
Garden publishes dated 2026/27 tuition of ฿147,000–฿609,800. Phoenix's live but undated page publishes ฿147,600/year from Kindergarten through Secondary and ฿12,000/month for Nursery, with billed months unstated.
What is the curriculum choice?
Garden moves from British EYFS and National Curriculum into Cambridge IGCSE and the IB Diploma. Phoenix follows Thailand's core curriculum in Thai and English and describes its bilingual teaching as Cambridge-aligned.
What needs planning?
Garden’s live fee page is labelled 2026/27 and its boarding house is off campus. Phoenix families need the fee year, Nursery billing months, upper-grade scope and qualification evidence confirmed in writing.
Shortlist guidance
- Garden suits families seeking an established English-medium British-to-IB route in Ban Chang with optional boarding from Year 5.
- Phoenix Wittaya suits families considering a lower-priced Thai-licensed bilingual route in Nongprue and willing to verify the undated tariff and Cambridge evidence before payment.
// 03 · compare the usable offer
Two all-through routes.
Different credentials.
The schools overlap from kindergarten through secondary, yet lead toward different records of learning. Garden combines English-medium British stages with Cambridge IGCSE and the IB Diploma; Phoenix Wittaya combines Thai and English within Thailand's national curriculum.
Match the actual attendance offer
Ask both schools to state the child’s proposed class, start date, age cut-off and following year. Garden publishes Nursery through Year 13; Phoenix describes Nursery through Secondary 6/Year 13.
Do not translate Year, Primary and Secondary labels by number alone. Request the placement test, class equivalence, calendar and written progression route, particularly if a child may move between an international system and the Thai system later.
Make language exposure visible
Garden records English as the teaching language alongside Thai, Spanish, French and Mandarin. Ask for weekly allocation, subject language, newcomer support and the transition from British primary into Cambridge IGCSE and the IB Diploma.
Phoenix Wittaya records Thai and English. Ask which subjects are taught in each language at the proposed stage, how English proficiency is assessed, what Thai literacy level is expected and how newcomers receive support.
At both visits, request anonymised work and the report format in each teaching language. Observe how teachers explain unfamiliar tasks and whether translation supports learning or merely task completion.
Build complete first-year totals
Garden's 2026/27 tuition runs from ฿147,000 to ฿609,800. Application is ฿5,000, enrolment ฿60,000–฿120,000 and the refundable deposit ฿40,000. Bus costs ฿18,000–฿32,100 per term, boarding ฿297,000–฿345,000 per year plus a ฿20,000 deposit, and compulsory EAL or learning support is priced on request.
Phoenix publishes ฿147,600/year for Kindergarten through Secondary, split into two ฿73,800 terms, plus ฿40,000 enrolment. Nursery is ฿12,000/month, but the number of billed months is not stated and must not be annualised.
Phoenix separately lists books at ฿3,000–฿8,000 and annual lunch at ฿5,000–฿10,000. Ask for a dated offer naming the fee year and prices for uniforms, IDs, competitions, after-school provision, trips, visa service, bus and insurance.
Plan both transfer points
Garden publishes Cambridge IGCSE followed by the IB Diploma. Confirm which senior years accept newcomers and which subjects operate for the enrolling cohort.
Phoenix describes Nursery through Secondary 6/Year 13, but a Cambridge-aligned programme is not automatically a Cambridge qualification. Ask which final Thai or international credential and transcript pupils receive, which examinations they enter and what English-language evidence is supplied for applications outside Thailand.
Rehearse relocation after two years. Request the transcript, curriculum map, language evidence, grading scale and teacher references each school would supply.
Audit support without assumptions
Garden publishes ELS at ฿20,000–฿30,000 per term and prices compulsory learning support on request. Phoenix Wittaya does not publish a usable language- or learning-support tariff in the current ledger.
If support matters, request the staff member, group size, minutes per week, review date, progress measure, exit criteria and price. Separate English acquisition from other learning needs.
Bring existing reports before assessment and ask admissions to state any limitations in writing.
Test the senior pathway with present evidence
Garden publishes an established IGCSE-to-IB Diploma sequence and a 100% Diploma pass rate for 2023. Ask for the latest IB cohort size and average points, current IGCSE and IB subjects, timetable constraints and university-counselling evidence.
Phoenix describes secondary through Secondary 6/Year 13. Ask which upper-secondary tracks run now, which subjects are taught in English, what national or international examinations apply and what university-counselling evidence the current cohort receives.
For either school, request anonymised subject-choice forms, a sample transcript, the examination calendar and the university-counselling timeline.
Compare registration and curriculum claims carefully
Phoenix appears in Thailand's Office of the Private Education Commission directory. That verifies a private-school record but does not independently verify Cambridge registration or examinations. Garden is independently listed by CIS and the IB, while its Cambridge and ONESQA claims remain school-published in the current ledger.
Ask each school for campus-specific register or examination evidence, then compare teacher qualifications, class size, homework and reporting cadence. Keep regulatory registration separate from curriculum and qualification claims.
Model discounts without inventing them
Garden publishes scholarships of up to 25% of tuition, reviewed annually, that replace other discounts and exclude examinations, trips and resource funds. The current Phoenix ledger records no usable standard fee or discount tariff.
Ask Phoenix to state the standard price first and any concession separately. A percentage discount has no decision value without its base, duration and conditions.
Test the real family week
Garden is in Ban Chang, Rayong; Phoenix Wittaya is in Nongprue. Drive both routes at arrival and collection times, including work and sibling stops.
Phoenix Wittaya advertises bus service without a current public price. Garden publishes bus at ฿18,000–฿32,100 per term and offers boarding from Year 5 in a small off-campus residential-estate house. Ask for pickup windows, vehicle time, supervision and the exact address price.
Finish the offer meeting
- Placement: exact class, live operation and next class.
- Learning: language allocation, programme map, work and reports.
- Cost: acceptance cash, first year and recurring year.
- Support: provision, staffing, review and price.
- Transition: Garden's British-to-IB sequence or Phoenix Wittaya's Thai-English Ministry pathway.
Save offers, fee schedules, calendars and placement answers together.
// 04 · visit worksheet
Observe, record,
then decide.
Test a normal morning
Arrive before the class begins and watch the transition from gate to room. Record how quickly the child separates, who welcomes them, which language adults use and whether the routine is understandable without repeated prompting. Ask what happens on a difficult morning and how parents are informed. A polished tour after children leave cannot answer these questions.
Compare learning evidence
Ask for a starting assessment, mid-year report and anonymised work from the proposed class. At Garden, trace English, Thai, Spanish, French and Mandarin through British primary, IGCSE and IB stages. At Phoenix Wittaya, inspect work in Thai and English and trace how its bilingual programme covers the Thai Ministry learning standards.
Record the balance of adult-led, child-initiated, individual and group activity during the visit. Ask how teachers adapt the same task for a child who is new to English, already reading or reluctant to join a group. The right environment is not defined by one teaching philosophy; it is the setting where staff can explain how this child will participate and progress.
Check care outside lessons
Confirm arrival supervision, meals, allergies, illness procedures, late collection and activities. Garden prices meals, resources, transport and boarding separately. Phoenix Wittaya publishes that food and bus services exist but not what a current family at a specific stage and address will pay, so both require a written inclusion list.
Place both calendars beside the family’s work calendar. Count closures that require alternative care and ask whether holiday programmes are offered, separately registered or guaranteed to enrolled pupils. A school-year tuition comparison does not capture care purchased during long breaks.
Separate address from commute
Garden is in Ban Chang, Rayong; Phoenix Wittaya is in Nongprue, Banglamung. Verify each entrance, transport route and contract address before payment. Test gate queues, parking and the return journey.
Phoenix is day-only. Garden offers boarding from Year 5 in an off-campus residential-estate house capped at 12 students, so families considering it should inspect the house, supervision, transport and weekend arrangements.
Write a conditional decision
For each school, finish the sentence: “This place works if…” Include the quoted total, language routine, classroom fit, support availability, care hours, travel ceiling and next-school plan. Then write the conditions that would trigger a review. This prevents a single attractive feature from hiding an unresolved cost or transition risk.
Run the same exercise for two future dates. At age six, both schools may be usable, but Garden's British primary sequence and Phoenix Wittaya's Thai bilingual primary sequence create different language and transfer demands. At age eleven, compare Garden's Cambridge IGCSE transition with Phoenix Wittaya's Secondary pathway, present subject languages and support needs.
Before signing, compare the two schools’ invoice language line by line. Ask each admissions team to mark every compulsory, optional, refundable and one-time row, then calculate cash due before the first day, the complete first year and a normal later year. Keep every Phoenix fee row open until a dated signed offer resolves it.
Also rehearse a mid-year move. Ask what notice is required, which reports and curriculum records would be released, how deposits are returned and whether prepaid services are refundable. Families using the Eastern Seaboard industrial corridor should test both routes at real collection time, because a lower fee cannot compensate for an unsustainable daily journey.
Ask how each school handles a mid-year departure before assuming either transfer will happen neatly at the end of a stage. Record required notice, reports supplied, outstanding-fee conditions and whether unused services can be refunded. A family expecting relocation should weight these documented terms alongside teaching and price.
Do not pay while a condition remains material and unanswered. Ask admissions to correct the offer email, retain Garden's latest 2026/27 schedule and Phoenix's dated personalised quote, and note who supplied every grade and support answer. That record makes the decision auditable.
// FAQ
Quick answers
before you decide.
Which school publishes lower tuition?
Phoenix publishes ฿147,600/year from Kindergarten through Secondary on an undated live page. Garden's 2026/27 tuition is ฿147,000–฿609,800. These endpoints are not grade-matched totals: compare the child's row, fee year, entry charges and every compulsory extra.
Do both schools follow an international curriculum?
No. Garden follows British stages through Cambridge IGCSE to the IB Diploma. Phoenix follows Thailand's core curriculum and school-described Cambridge-aligned bilingual teaching; alignment is not independent Cambridge accreditation.
How long can a child stay?
Garden publishes ages 2–18 and Nursery through Year 13. Phoenix describes ages 2–17+ and Nursery through Secondary 6/Year 13.
What should a Garden quote include?
Ask for enrolling-year tuition, application, enrolment, refundable deposit, resources, meals, transport, boarding, visa documents, trips, compulsory EAL or learning support, exams and refund terms.
What should a Phoenix Wittaya quote include?
Ask for academic year, exact grade and programme, tuition, every entry charge, meals, transport, books, uniform, insurance, activities, examinations, language support and refund terms.
Five questions.
Use the decision framework above to weigh curriculum, fees, continuity, location and your child’s fit.