RUEst. 2017 · UK sister
Premium · British · Boarding
Rugby School Thailand
Bang Lamung · 80 acres
Boarding from Year 6. A-Level. ฿345K–฿999K.
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// HEAD-TO-HEAD · Premium · Boarding British
Rugby vs Highgate.
Rugby’s 2026/27 standard tuition is ฿345,000–฿999,000; Highgate’s operating Pre-Prep and Junior School tuition is ฿375,000–฿795,000. Rugby has an established all-through and boarding record; Highgate opened on 19 August 2026 and has first-term evidence only.
// Jump to → Rugby Thailand editorial ↗ · Highgate editorial ↗ · British schools hub ↗ · Boarding schools hub ↗ · Boarding price guide ↗ · Where to live ↗
// 01 · Comparison table
Side by side.
Both schools publish 2026/27 tuition. Rugby’s standard range is ฿345,000–฿999,000; Highgate’s standard range is ฿375,000–฿795,000 for its operating Pre-Prep and Junior School. Highgate opened on 19 August 2026, so its operating evidence is limited to the first term.
// In this guide → Rugby Thailand editorial ↗ · Highgate editorial ↗ · British schools hub ↗ · Boarding schools hub ↗ · Boarding price guide ↗ · Where to live ↗ · Start Here primer ↗ · Parent FAQ ↗
| Dimension | Rugby Thailand | Highgate Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Founded / status | 2017 · operating · sister of Rugby School Warwickshire (est. 1567) | Opened 19 August 2026 · first overseas campus of Highgate School London (est. 1565) |
| Address | Bang Lamung — 80-acre purpose-built campus | Near Siam Country Club, Banglamung (~30 min from central Pattaya) |
| Age range (current) | 2–18 full through-school (Pre-Nursery → Year 13 A-Level) | Pre-Nursery–Year 6 operating · Senior School planned 2027/28 · boarding later, date conflicts |
| Secondary on campus | Yes — IGCSE → A-Level operating now | No · Senior School planned for 2027/28 |
| Early Years philosophy | British EYFS (Pre-Nursery half-day or full-day options) | British Pre-Prep (published pathway · verify on tour) |
| Primary curriculum | British National Curriculum (KS1 + KS2 through Year 6) | British National Curriculum (Junior School · ages 2–11 at opening) |
| Language model | English-medium · Thai · Mandarin | English-medium British · verify additional languages on tour |
| Accreditation | Rugby School Group sister · operating audit cycle | OPEC-licensed · first term, with no Thailand inspection or outcomes track record yet · sister of Highgate School London |
| Class size / scale | 80-acre campus · largest in directory · verify cohort sizes on tour | Phased founding cohorts · current enrolment not published |
| Annual tuition (published) | ฿345,000–999,000/yr exact (rugbyschool.ac.th 2026/27) | ฿375,000–795,000/yr · Highgate 2026/27 |
| Nursery / EY tuition | ฿345,000/yr (Pre-Nursery/Nursery half-day · exact published) | ฿375,000 half-day without lunch · ฿595,000 full day |
| Year 1 tuition | ฿736,000/yr (Years 1–2) | ฿755,000/yr standard |
| Year 7 tuition | ฿868,000/yr (Years 7–8) | Not yet published · Years 7–9 planned from 2027 subject to OPEC approval |
| Sixth Form tuition | ฿999,000/yr (Years 12–13 A-Level · exact published) | Not yet published · later phase |
| One-time admission | ฿5,500 application · ฿200,000 acceptance (non-refundable) · highest in directory | ฿5,500 application · ฿200,000 enrolment · ฿100,000 refundable deposit |
| Boarding | From Year 6 · ฿285,100 part, ฿417,700 weekly or ฿493,800 full per year (+ ฿20,000 expenses deposit) | Not operating · Admissions says 2028/29; homepage contains both 2027 and 2028 statements |
| Transport | Tariff not published; request a written quote | Not published · bus excluded from tuition |
| Live editorial | Rugby → read editorial | Highgate → read editorial |
| Published support-cost label | Combined school label — “EAL & SfL Fees: English as an Additional Language and Support for Learning”; ฿5,500–฿70,000/term. | No language- or learning-support tariff appears on the current 2026/27 fee page. |
Rugby operates every phase and boarding today. Highgate publishes 2026/27 tuition for its operating Pre-Nursery–Year 6 range plus a ฿5,500 application fee, ฿200,000 non-refundable enrolment fee and ฿100,000 refundable deposit, but has only first-term operating evidence and no Senior fee schedule. Highgate plans Senior School for 2027/28; boarding is not operating and its official pages give conflicting later dates.
// 02 · The decision framework
Five questions.
Five answers.
1. Do you need boarding operating now — or can you wait for Highgate's later phase?
The boarding timeline is the hardest structural constraint. Rugby offers boarding from Year 6 — operating since 2017 with a boarding community and published boarding prices. Highgate is not operating boarding: its Admissions page says 2028/29, its homepage contains both 2027 and 2028 statements, and no boarding tariff is public. Families who need boarding immediately cannot wait. If boarding is your primary reason for comparing these two schools, Rugby is the only fit today.
2. What does the published opening-year cost actually include?
Rugby publishes exact year-by-year tuition: ฿345K (Pre-Nursery half-day), ฿711K (Y1), ฿836K (Y7) and ฿999K (Y12–13), plus a ฿200K non-refundable acceptance fee. Highgate now publishes ฿375K half-day Nursery, ฿595K full-day Nursery and ฿715K–฿795K from Reception to Year 6, plus ฿5,500 application, ฿200K enrolment and a ฿100K refundable deposit. Highgate transport, uniform, trips and designated paid activities remain unpriced publicly.
3. Sport-first 80-acre campus — or academic-literary London brand on a new build?
Rugby is built around sport-academic integration on an 80-acre campus — four pools (including 50m Olympic in the Webb Ellis Centre), FIBA-standard courts, 55,000m² of pitch space. The Rugby UK brand is sport-and-heritage. Highgate borrows Highgate School London's academic-literary pedigree (est. 1565) on a purpose-built campus near Siam Country Club — FIFA pitch, Olympic pool, Golf Academy, 450-seat auditorium per published plans (renders, not yet verified). Rugby suits sport-first families with nine years of operating proof. Highgate suits families betting on the London academic brand at founding-cohort stage.
4. Does your child fit Highgate's current Pre-Nursery–Year 6 range — or do they need secondary now?
Highgate is operating Pre-Prep and Junior School through Year 6. Senior School is planned for 2027/28, so families approaching secondary need the next year-group opening schedule in writing. Rugby accepts all year groups through Year 13 A-Level on a full through-school campus. If your child needs IGCSE or A-Level immediately, Rugby is the only operating option of these two.
5. Nine years of operating history — or founding-cohort upside on faith in the brand?
Rugby has operated since 2017, with exam results, published destination examples, named current-year confirmed places and an established campus families can inspect. Highgate is in its first term: current evidence covers licensing, published plans, initial operations and a campus visit, not a completed Thailand exam cohort or inspection-based quality conclusion. Both plan an A-Level route at Sixth Form rather than the IB Diploma. Choose between established operating evidence and a newer primary-stage offer only after observing the proposed class and obtaining the phased progression plan in writing.
Summary verdict
- Choose Rugby School Thailand if: you need boarding operating now (from Year 6); you want exact published fees for spreadsheet budgeting; an 80-acre sport-first campus matters; A-Level operating history since 2017 is required; or your child needs a year group beyond Highgate's current range.
- Choose Highgate International Thailand if: your child fits the operating Pre-Nursery–Year 6 range; you want the Highgate School London connection on a purpose-built Banglamung campus; you can wait for later Senior and boarding phases; and the limited first-term evidence is acceptable after a class visit and written progression check.
Neither fits — if…
You need IB Diploma optionality at Sixth Form — see Rugby vs Regents. You need boarding from Year 3 — see Highgate vs Regents. You need an established American + IB route — see ISE vs Rugby.
// PRIMARY EVIDENCE · record dates through 2026-08-23
Rugby School Thailand source ↗ · Highgate International School Thailand source ↗. Read each school editorial for claim-specific source links, document dates, fee inclusions and unresolved evidence conflicts.
// 03 · current-place test
Established school.
Or founding cohort.
Rugby is an operating all-through British school with published boarding and senior pathways; Highgate is a first-term primary-stage school whose usable offer depends on the child’s entry year and the grades operating then.
Verify availability before comparing
Ask Highgate to confirm in writing that the child’s year group will be open on the intended start date, the expected founding-cohort size, staffing, facilities available from day one and the next grades scheduled to follow. Distinguish facilities or pathways available at opening from later phases. A future plan should remain labelled as such.
Ask Rugby for the actual class size, subject choices and boarding or day-place availability in the proposed year. For both schools, put the exact start date, class, calendar and acceptance conditions on the comparison sheet. The established-versus-new decision should be made using current offers, not reputation on one side and architectural promise on the other.
Inspect the present classroom proposition
At Rugby, observe an ordinary class and request work from the relevant year. At Highgate, meet the educators expected to teach the child, review the launch curriculum map and ask how baseline assessment, routines and parent communication will work while the cohort forms. Ask what changes if enrolment is smaller or larger than forecast.
For a senior child, request subject-level pathway evidence, examination arrangements and university guidance. Rugby’s established A-Level route can be checked against current delivery. Highgate’s later senior route should not be treated as available until its timing, cohort and subject provision are confirmed for the child.
Reconcile complete costs
Obtain dated, year-specific invoices from both schools and place them on the same standard-fee basis before recording any discount. Add application, enrolment or registration, deposit, meals, transport, books, uniform, devices, trips, examinations, clubs and language or learning support. Separate money due before attendance, the complete first year and a recurring year.
If boarding is relevant at Rugby, add the correct boarding tariff, retainer, weekend arrangements and travel costs; leave it out for a day pupil. At Highgate, confirm which services are operational at launch and whether any founding offer has conditions, expiry dates or later standard pricing. Never extend an opening incentive beyond its written terms.
Plan for operational risk
Ask Highgate what happens if a grade, service or facility is delayed and which refund or withdrawal terms apply before opening. Ask Rugby the equivalent notice and refund questions under a normal transfer scenario. Save both answers with the offer. This does not assume a delay; it makes the consequence of a changed plan comparable.
For either school, request a child-specific support plan when language, learning or wellbeing provision matters. Record staff, frequency, group size, review date and cost. Planned staffing or a general support statement is not the same as provision attached to an accepted place.
Measure the real family week
Drive both routes at actual arrival and collection times and include work, siblings and activities. If Rugby boarding or either school’s transport changes the schedule, model the full week rather than one commute. Put term dates, closure days and care coverage beside the journey.
Finish with one decision record containing confirmed start availability, exact placement, classroom evidence, complete costs, support, travel and the next pathway checkpoint. Keep every Highgate phase assumption visibly separate from what is contractually available for the child’s start.
// FAQ
Quick answers
before you decide.
Which boarding school is operating now — Rugby or Highgate?
Rugby School Thailand has operated since 2017 with boarding from Year 6. Highgate boarding is planned but not operating; its current official pages conflict between 2027 and 2028/29.
Are Highgate Thailand fees published?
Yes. Highgate publishes standard 2026/27 tuition of ฿375,000–฿795,000 for its operating Pre-Prep and Junior School. Rugby publishes ฿345,000–฿999,000 standard tuition. Both offer a 3% full-year-payment discount subject to their deadlines.
Do both schools offer A-Level?
Yes. Rugby runs British A-Level now. Highgate's published pathway is British IGCSE → A-Level with Senior School launching 2027.
Which has the larger campus?
Rugby — 80 acres, largest in the directory, operating since 2017. Highgate is purpose-built near Siam Country Club — facilities from published plans, not yet verified post-opening.
Which fits children outside ages 2–11 in 2026?
Rugby accepts all year groups through Year 13 today. Highgate currently operates Pre-Nursery–Year 6, with Senior School planned for 2027/28.
Back to
the directory.
29 school records listed. Twenty-nine full editorials live. Record dates show the latest completed check.