Comparison · British senior routes
Rugby vs. Regents
A-Level or IB Diploma
Rugby lists A-Level and boarding from Year 6; Regents lists A-Level or IB Diploma and boarding from Year 3. Compare the year-group fees.
School comparison
ISE Sriracha vs Rugby Thailand
ISE publishes an American AERO pathway and IB Diploma in Si Racha. Rugby publishes British IGCSE to A-Levels in Bang Lamung, with boarding from Year 6.
The schools
Provision
| What to compare | ISE Sriracha | Rugby Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 282 Moo 5, Bowin, Sriracha — inside Burapha Golf Club | Bang Lamung — 80-acre purpose-built campus |
| Age range | 3–18 (Pre-K → Grade 12 · full through-school) | 2–18 (Pre-Nursery → Year 13 A-Level · full through-school) |
| Curriculum | American — AERO + NGSS | British — English National Curriculum |
| Sixth Form pathway | American diploma OR IB Diploma (choice) | A-Levels; no IBDP listed |
| Boarding | Day school only | From Year 6 |
| Languages | English · Thai · Mandarin | English · Thai · Mandarin |
Tuition and other charges
A school-wide fee range is not a quote for one child. Check the academic year, exact year group, compulsory charges and what tuition includes before comparing totals.
ISE vs Rugby · standard published tuition before full-year-payment discounts (all-in rows include named mandatory charges) · fee years: ISE 2026/27; Rugby 2026/27 · checked 27 July 2026
| What to compare | ISE Sriracha | Rugby Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Early Years tuition | ฿357,600/yr (Pre-K2–K4) | ฿345,000/yr (Pre-Nursery, half-day) |
| Primary tuition | ฿514,200/yr (K–Grade 5) | ฿736,000/yr (Years 1–2) |
| Year 10 / Grade 10 tuition | ฿617,000/yr (Grades 9–10) | ฿988,000/yr (Years 10–11) |
| Sixth Form tuition | ฿646,000/yr (Grade 11–12, IB Diploma) | ฿999,000/yr (Year 12–13, A-Level) |
| One-time entry fees | ฿5,000 application · ฿90,000 enrolment · ฿50,000 refundable deposit | ฿5,500 application · ฿200,000 acceptance · ฿100,000 refundable student deposit Acceptance fee normally non-refundable; published boarding exception: refund after three consecutive terms for weekly or full boarders. 2026/27 fee schedule |
| Transport | ฿70,000–฿93,700/year round trip by distance | 2026/27 bus tariff not in checked material. The 2025/26 bus booklet is older context; request a current route quote. |
| Language and learning support charges | EAL only — ฿19,200–฿57,600/semester by assessed proficiency level; this is not a general learning-support tariff. | Combined school label — “EAL & SfL Fees: English as an Additional Language and Support for Learning”; ฿5,500–฿70,000/term. |
Beyond tuition
Other practical details
| What to compare | ISE Sriracha | Rugby Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 (WASC since 1999 · IBO IBDP since 2004) | 2017 (sister of Rugby School Warwickshire · est. 1567) |
| Network | Independent | Rugby School Group (UK) |
| Setting | Inside Burapha Golf Club · Bowin, Sriracha | 80-acre purpose-built campus · Bang Lamung |
| Roll / scale | current enrolment not published · school-reported ratio below 8:1 | Large roll · campus-scale school |
| Accreditation | WASC (since 1999) · IBO (since 2004) | Rugby School Group sister school |
| Signature facility | 306-seat Fine Arts Centre theatre | Four pools incl. 50m Olympic · Webb Ellis Centre |
Official sources and dates
International School Eastern Seaboard school website · fee material · dated profile sources
Rugby School Thailand school website · fee material · dated profile sources
Before you decide
Where the routes differ
1. Which university system is your child heading for?
For an American curriculum and IB Diploma option, ISE publishes a route through Grade 12, with WASC accreditation and IB authorisation since 2004. Wells Chonburi also publishes an American curriculum, but its live pages disagree on upper-grade availability, so confirm that separately. Rugby publishes a British IGCSE-to-A-Level route. Ask the intended universities about subjects and qualification requirements, and ask admissions about current assessments and counselling provision.
2. Do you want A-Levels, or curriculum optionality at 16?
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.
3. Big school or small school?
Rugby publishes an 80-acre campus, boarding and a broad activity offer. ISE publishes a student-to-teacher ratio below 8:1 but not current grade or graduating-cohort sizes. Ask both schools for the proposed class size, subject groups, activities and pastoral support, then visit the child's likely classroom. Those details are more useful than inferring a pupil's experience from a whole-school ratio.
4. How central is sport and facilities?
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.
5. Boarding need, and budget
Only Rugby boards — from Year 6. ISE is day-only, so a family that needs boarding has no decision to make here. On price, ISE is roughly ฿353,000 a year cheaper at Sixth Form (฿646K vs ฿999K), and its one-time entry cost is far lower — a ฿90,000 enrolment fee plus a refundable ฿50,000 deposit, against Rugby's ฿200,000 acceptance fee plus refundable ฿100,000 student deposit. Over a full school career the gap runs well into seven figures. For a day family where budget is the swing factor, ISE.
Standard tuition first, then the real total.
Both schools publish 2026/27 fees, so begin with standard tuition for the child’s exact stage. ISE runs ฿357,600–฿646,000; Rugby runs ฿345,000–฿999,000. The lowest Rugby figure is a half-day early-years option and does not show the cost of later primary or secondary education. The highest figures describe different qualification systems—ISE’s Grade 11–12 American/IB route and Rugby’s Year 12–13 A-Level route. Compare the child’s actual entry class before using either endpoint.
Keep annual-payment discounts separate. Each school publishes conditions for paying early, and those savings change cash timing as well as price. Write standard tuition on the first line, the discount on the next, and the qualifying date and refund rule beside it. A family unable to pay the full year before the deadline should not use the discounted figure as its working budget.
ISE’s tuition excludes lunch, bus, uniform and IB examination fees. Add its application, non-refundable enrolment, refundable security deposit and any assessed EAL cost. Rugby’s tuition includes textbooks, lunches and snacks, an annual residential trip and standard external examination entry, but families still need to add application, acceptance, refundable student deposit, activities outside the included programme, transport, uniform, music and any EAL or Support for Learning charge. For a boarder, add the chosen boarding pattern and boarding deposit.
Ask for subjects,
not only credentials.
ISE’s American route can lead to its high-school diploma or the IB Diploma. Rugby’s British route leads through IGCSE to A-Level. Ask each school for the current subject list, entry prerequisites, timetable constraints, counselling sequence, examination arrangements and recent cohort context. The child needs an available combination that supports their intended university direction; a famous qualification name does not guarantee every subject will run.
For a pupil joining in secondary, ask how prior study maps to the new route. An American-grade transcript, an IGCSE sequence and IB preparation organise content differently. Admissions should identify any bridging work, courses that cannot be joined mid-cycle and the latest sensible entry point. Rugby does not normally admit into the second year of a two-year examination course, while ISE families should confirm the preparation required for its IB option.
Test the life around
the timetable.
Rugby publishes boarding from age ten with part, weekly and full patterns; ISE is day-only. Request Rugby’s current boarding handbook, included nights, weekend and holiday routine, prep supervision, medical care, guardianship, device rules, excursions and extra charges. Visit the relevant house during an ordinary week and meet the adult responsible for the child’s age group. A boarding tariff describes accommodation and services, not whether the residential routine suits this pupil.
For a day pupil, compare school scale directly. Rugby publishes a large campus, extensive facilities and a broad activity programme. ISE publishes a student-to-teacher ratio below 8:1 but not current class or graduating-cohort sizes. Ask both schools for the proposed class size, senior subject cohort, activity participation and how a new pupil is integrated. A small ratio and a large campus are starting points, not conclusions about daily attention or peer fit.
Make the weekly routine
part of the decision.
Run both routes from the real home address during school traffic and request exact bus quotes, pickup windows, ride duration and late-activity returns. ISE’s Bowin position may suit Sriracha, Laem Chabang and industrial-corridor families; Rugby’s Bang Lamung location creates a different catchment. Put weekly travel hours beside tuition and boarding nights so the family can see the routine it is buying.
ISE is a day school with an American high-school diploma or IB Diploma route; Rugby publishes boarding and an A-Level route. Neither should be chosen from facilities or tuition alone. The written offer should name the class, complete cost, available qualification subjects, support and transport or residential routine for this child.
Common questions
Which is better — ISE or Rugby?
Neither in the abstract — they are opposite products. ISE is current enrolment not published, American AERO + optional IB Diploma, day-only, inside Burapha Golf Club. Rugby is a large British A-Level campus with boarding from Year 6 on 80 acres.
What is the fee difference at Sixth Form?
ISE G11–12: ฿646,000/yr tuition only. Rugby Y12–13: ฿999,000/yr — ฿353,000/yr more. Rugby's ฿200,000 acceptance plus ฿100,000 refundable deposit vs ISE's ฿90,000 enrolment plus ฿50,000 refundable deposit.
Does ISE offer A-Levels?
No. ISE runs American AERO/NGSS with IB Diploma optional at G11–12. Rugby is A-Level only at Sixth Form.
Which offers boarding?
Rugby only — from Year 6. ISE is day-only.
Big school or small school?
Rugby publishes an 80-acre campus and boarding; ISE publishes a student-to-teacher ratio below 8:1, but not current enrolment or class sizes. Ask each school about the child's proposed class, peers, activities and support.