Not a tier decision — a curriculum and geography decision. ISE in Bowin runs American AERO + NGSS through IB Diploma on a ~150-student campus inside Burapha Golf Club. TPIS in Nongprue runs British EYFS through dual-board A-Level on an ISP-managed Established campus. Both are full 2–18 day schools. Neither offers boarding. The question is which credential your child needs at 18 — and which commute your family can sustain daily.
// Jump to → ISE editorial ↗ · TPIS editorial ↗ · ISE vs Rugby ↗ · ISE vs MIS ↗ · ISE vs St Andrew's ↗ · Garden vs ISE ↗
Tuition from ISE's 2025/26 schedule (ise.ac.th) and TPIS's 2025/26 fee schedule (tpis.ac.th), cross-checked against international-schools-database 2025/26 records. Grade bands are aligned by school stage — American and British year groups do not map one-to-one. Verified May 2026.
// In this guide → ISE editorial ↗ · TPIS editorial ↗ · ISE vs Rugby ↗ · ISE vs MIS ↗ · ISE vs St Andrew's ↗ · Garden vs ISE ↗ · IB Diploma hub ↗ · American schools hub ↗
| Dimension | ISE (Eastern Seaboard) | TPIS (Tara Pattana) |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 (WASC since 2000 · IBO IBDP since 2003) | 2010 (ISP member since 2025) |
| Address | 282 Moo 5, Bowin, Sriracha — inside Burapha Golf Club | 88 M. 13 Pattanakarn Road, Nongprue, Banglamung |
| Curriculum | American AERO + NGSS → IB Diploma (or American diploma) | British EYFS → Cambridge/Edexcel IGCSE → A-Level |
| Sixth Form pathway | IB Diploma at G11–12 (American diploma also available) | Cambridge + Pearson Edexcel A-Level only |
| Boarding | No — day school only | No — day school only |
| Scale | ~150 students · 8:1 ratio · 50+ nationalities | Established-tier mid-band — larger cohorts than ISE |
| Accreditation | WASC · IBO (IB Diploma Programme) | Cambridge CAIE · Pearson Edexcel · EDT ISQM |
| Early years tuition | ฿357,600/yr (Pre-K2–K4, ages 3–5) | ฿263,550/yr (Nursery 2, age 2) → ฿437,850 (K3/G1 band) |
| Primary tuition | ฿514,200/yr (Kindergarten–Grade 5) | ฿437,850–฿488,250/yr (Grades 1–5) |
| Middle school / Y7 tuition | ฿600,500/yr (Grades 6–8) | ฿554,400/yr (Grade 7) |
| Year 10 / IGCSE-prep tuition | ฿617,000/yr (Grades 9–10) | ฿605,850/yr (Grades 9–10 — peak TPIS band) |
| Sixth Form tuition | ฿646,000/yr (Grades 11–12, IB Diploma) | ฿543,900/yr (Grades 11–12, A-Level — fee curve inverts) |
| Tuition structure | Tuition only — lunch, bus, uniform, IB exam fees separate | All-in: meals, insurance, textbooks (Primary + KS3), stationery included |
| Enrolment fee | ฿45,000 non-refundable + ฿40,000 refundable deposit | ฿100,000 non-refundable |
| Application fee | ฿5,000 | ฿3,000 (Nursery–K) / ฿5,000 (Reception–G12) |
| Sibling discount | 3rd child: enrolment waived · 4th+: waived + 10% tuition | 5% (2nd) · 10% (3rd) · 30% (4th) |
| Signature programmes | MAP · PSAT · SAT · TOEFL integrated · 306-seat Fine Arts Centre | Ror Dor Army Cadet · Duke of Edinburgh · LAMDA · dual exam-board at IGCSE/A-Level |
| Live editorial | ISE → read editorial | TPIS → read editorial |
Fee comparison is not apples-to-apples on inclusions: TPIS's published tuition includes lunch; ISE bills lunch separately. ISE is more expensive at early years (฿357,600 vs TPIS Nursery 2 at ฿263,550) but TPIS catches up by primary. At Sixth Form, ISE IB at ฿646,000 exceeds TPIS A-Level at ฿543,900 — but you are buying different exit credentials. First-year all-in at ISE G11 ≈ ฿736,000 (tuition + application + enrolment); TPIS G11 first-year ≈ ฿648,900 per published schedules.
If the United States — Common App, SAT on schedule, AP-style credit accumulation — ISE is the only American-curriculum school in this directory, with MAP/PSAT/SAT built into the academic year and WASC accreditation since 2000. If the UK specifically, with UCAS and A-Level subject specialisation at 16, TPIS is the direct British pathway. IB Diploma at ISE is accepted by UK universities routinely — so ISE is not off the table for UK-bound families — but A-Levels are TPIS's native credential.
ISE offers IB Diploma at Grades 11–12 (฿646,000/yr) — six subjects, Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay, CAS. Students can also finish on the American high-school diploma without IB. TPIS runs A-Level only — specialise into three or four subjects via Cambridge or Edexcel boards. If you want the breadth and global portability of IB, ISE. If you want the focused British exam route, TPIS — and TPIS's A-Level band is actually ฿102,100/yr cheaper than ISE's IB band.
This comparison fails if you ignore geography. TPIS in Nongprue suits families in inland Banglamung, Huai Yai, or east Pattaya — 15–20 minutes from Jomtien. ISE in Bowin suits Sriracha, Laem Chabang, and Bowin itself — 30–40 minutes from central Pattaya depending on traffic. A Pattaya-beach family busing to ISE daily is a different calculus than a Sriracha industrial-zone family. Neither school is walkable from the coast.
ISE is deliberately tiny — roughly 150 students across Pre-K to Grade 12, 8:1 ratio, graduating classes that can be 12–20 students. Every teacher knows every child. Extracurricular depth is thin — no 1st XI football bench, no large debate circuit. TPIS is mid-band Established — larger year groups, Ror Dor Cadet, Duke of Edinburgh, LAMDA programmes that need cohort scale. If your child wants to disappear into a crowd, ISE is the wrong fit. If your child needs a small pastoral environment, TPIS may feel overwhelming.
Thai-passport families with sons approaching Year 10 should weigh TPIS's Ror Dor Army Cadet Programme — it can waive military conscription at age 21, and ISE does not run it. Families who relocate internationally may prefer ISE's 30-year WASC track record and IBDP history (IBO since 2003) over TPIS's one-year-old ISP membership (2025). Ask TPIS admissions what ISP has actually changed operationally — network ownership is new enough that the playbook may still be rolling out.
You need boarding — see Rugby vs Regents. You want British in Nongprue at lower fees than TPIS — see MIS vs TPIS. You want American curriculum but cannot accept the Sriracha commute — there is no second American school in the directory; ISE is the only one. For premium IB with boarding, see Regents or American schools hub.
Curriculum and location. ISE in Bowin, Sriracha runs American AERO and NGSS through IB Diploma (WASC since 2000, IBO since 2003). TPIS in Nongprue runs British EYFS through Cambridge and Edexcel A-Level. Both are Established-tier day schools with published 2025/26 fees.
TPIS in Nongprue is closer for most Pattaya families — typically 15–20 minutes inland from Jomtien or central Pattaya. ISE in Bowin/Sriracha is typically 30–40 minutes depending on traffic, closer to Laem Chabang industrial zone.
ISE offers IB Diploma at Grades 11–12 (฿646,000/yr tuition). TPIS does not — it runs British A-Level only at ฿543,900/yr. ISE is the only American-curriculum school in the directory with a fully authorised IBDP.
TPIS A-Level (G11–12) at ฿543,900/yr is ฿102,100 below ISE IB Diploma at ฿646,000/yr. But the credentials differ. At middle school, TPIS Grade 7 (฿554,400) is also below ISE Grades 6–8 (฿600,500).
Yes. IB Diploma is accepted routinely by UK universities. ISE also runs MAP, PSAT, and SAT for US-bound students. TPIS A-Level is the more direct UCAS pathway if your child is specifically UK-university-bound.
14 schools verified. Fourteen full editorials live. Maintained, not abandoned.