The widest gap in the directory. One is a 150-student American school with the IB Diploma optional at 16, day-only, inside a gated golf community. The other is a British A-Level institution on an 80-acre campus with boarding from age 10. This is not a close call on similar schools — it's a decision about what kind of education, and what kind of childhood, you want.
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ISE tuition from ise.ac.th 2025/26 schedule (tuition only — lunch, bus, uniform, and IB exam fees separate). Rugby from rugbyschool.ac.th/admissions/fees (2025/26 exact). American and British year groups do not map one-to-one at every stage.
// In this guide → ISE editorial ↗ · Rugby Thailand editorial ↗ · Rugby vs Regents ↗ · Rugby vs Highgate ↗ · Rugby vs St Andrew's ↗ · ISE vs TPIS ↗ · IB Diploma hub ↗ · American schools hub ↗
| Dimension | ISE Sriracha | Rugby Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 282 Moo 5, Bowin, Sriracha — inside Burapha Golf Club (~35 min east of central Pattaya) | Bang Lamung — 80-acre purpose-built campus (~30 min from central Pattaya) |
| Age range | 3–18 (Pre-K → Grade 12 · full through-school) | 2–18 (Pre-Nursery → Year 13 A-Level · full through-school) |
| Founded | 1993 (WASC since 2000 · IBO IBDP since 2003) | 2017 (sister of Rugby School Warwickshire · est. 1567) |
| Curriculum | American — AERO + NGSS | British — English National Curriculum |
| Sixth Form pathway | American diploma OR IB Diploma (choice) | A-Levels ONLY |
| Network | Independent | Rugby School Group (UK) |
| Setting | Inside Burapha Golf Club · Bowin, Sriracha | 80-acre purpose-built campus · Bang Lamung |
| Roll / scale | ~150 students · small by design · 8:1 ratio | Large roll · campus-scale school |
| Boarding | Day school only | From age 10 (Year 7+) |
| Accreditation | WASC (since 2000) · IBO (since 2003) | Rugby School Group sister school |
| Early Years tuition | ฿357,600/yr (Pre-K2–K4) | ฿333,000/yr (Pre-Nursery, half-day) |
| Primary tuition | ฿514,200/yr (K–Grade 5) | ฿711,000/yr (Year 1) |
| Year 10 / Grade 10 tuition | ฿617,000/yr (Grade 9–10) | ฿954,000/yr (Year 10 IGCSE) |
| Sixth Form tuition | ฿646,000/yr (Grade 11–12, IB Diploma) | ฿975,000/yr (Year 12–13, A-Level) |
| One-time entry fees | ฿5,000 application · ฿45,000 enrolment · ฿40,000 refundable deposit | ฿5,500 application · ฿200,000 acceptance (non-refundable) |
| Languages | English · Thai · Mandarin | English · Thai · Mandarin |
| Signature facility | 306-seat Fine Arts Centre theatre | Four pools incl. 50m Olympic · Webb Ellis Centre |
| Transport | School bus — verify zone rates with admissions | ฿18,000–32,000/term by zone (published bus schedule) |
| Live editorial | ISE → read editorial | Rugby → read editorial |
Fee comparison is symmetric in precision: both publish exact year-by-year tuition. ISE is lower at Sixth Form (฿646K tuition only vs Rugby ฿975K A-Level) — ~฿329K/yr gap. One-time fees diverge sharply: Rugby ฿200K non-refundable acceptance (highest in directory) vs ISE ฿45K enrolment + ฿40K refundable deposit. ISE tuition excludes lunch, bus, uniform, and IB exam fees. Rugby Y1 first-year all-in ≈ ฿973,500 vs ISE Pre-K all-in lower at entry but still premium. Only Rugby offers boarding (from age 10). The curriculum fork is wider than the fee fork — American AERO/NGSS + optional IB Diploma vs British A-Level only on an 80-acre sport-first campus.
If the answer is the United States — AP-style credit, the Common App, the SAT on schedule — ISE is the only serious American-curriculum option in the region, and it has run US and IB Diploma applications since 2003. If the answer is the UK and your child wants the A-Level route specifically, Rugby is built for it. Note that ISE's optional IB Diploma is itself accepted routinely by UK universities, so ISE is not off the table for a UK-bound family — but A-Levels are Rugby's.
Rugby is A-Levels only at Sixth Form — the focused, specialise-into-three-subjects British route. ISE keeps the door open: a student can finish on the American high-school diploma or opt into the IB Diploma at Grade 11. If you want that choice deferred to age 16, ISE. If you want the committed A-Level path, Rugby.
This is the starkest difference. Rugby is a large, campus-scale institution — a deep peer pool, a full fixtures calendar, a big Sixth Form. ISE is roughly 150 students from Pre-K to Grade 12, with an 8:1 ratio and graduating classes that can be twelve to twenty students. Rugby if your child wants the energy and breadth of a large school; ISE if you want a school where every teacher knows every child by name — and you accept that a small cohort is a thin bench if peer dynamics go sideways.
Rugby is built around the whole-person, sport-arts-academics model: an 80-acre site, four swimming pools including a 50-metre Olympic pool, and the Webb Ellis Centre. ISE is calmer by design — a 306-seat Fine Arts Centre theatre, golf-course grounds, shared club pool and courts, and no attempt to be a sport monolith. If facilities and team sport are central to your child's life, Rugby. If a quieter environment is the point, ISE.
Only Rugby boards — from age 10. ISE is day-only, so a family that needs boarding has no decision to make here. On price, ISE is roughly ฿329,000 a year cheaper at Sixth Form (฿646K vs ฿975K), and its one-time entry cost is far lower — a ฿45,000 enrolment fee plus a refundable ฿40,000 deposit, against Rugby's ฿200,000 non-refundable acceptance fee. Over a full school career the gap runs well into seven figures. For a day family where budget is the swing factor, ISE.
Neither in the abstract — they are opposite products. ISE is ~150 students, American AERO + optional IB Diploma, day-only, inside Burapha Golf Club. Rugby is a large British A-Level campus with boarding from age 10 on 80 acres.
ISE G11–12: ฿646,000/yr tuition only. Rugby Y12–13: ฿975,000/yr — ~฿329,000/yr more. Rugby's ฿200,000 acceptance fee vs ISE's ฿45,000 enrolment + ฿40,000 refundable deposit.
No. ISE runs American AERO/NGSS with IB Diploma optional at G11–12. Rugby is A-Level only at Sixth Form.
Rugby only — from age 10 (Year 7+). ISE is day-only.
Rugby is campus-scale with deep sport facilities and a large peer pool. ISE is deliberately small (~150 students, 8:1 ratio) — every teacher knows every child.
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