Rugby vs St Andrew's.

Five questions.
Five answers.

1. Do you need boarding — or is a day school enough?

This is the structural fork. Rugby offers boarding from age 10 (Year 7+) on an 80-acre purpose-built estate — the only boarding-first Rugby-brand campus in this directory. Boarding fees are not published; verify all-in costs with admissions before committing. St Andrew's is a day school only — no published boarding programme. If your family needs weekly or full boarding, Rugby is the structural fit. If you live in Pattaya or Rayong and can manage a daily commute, St Andrew's removes boarding cost entirely.

2. A-Level at Sixth Form — or IB Diploma?

Rugby runs Cambridge A-Level only at Sixth Form — no IB Diploma option. Pure British exam culture, Rugby UK sister-school pedigree, sport-academic integration on the largest campus in the directory. St Andrew's runs IB Diploma only at Sixth Form — no A-Level alternative — with IB Primary Years embedded from primary through IGCSE. If your child is committed to A-Level and UK university credentials, Rugby. If IB Diploma continuity from early years matters, St Andrew's. These pathways do not converge at age 16 — choose before Year 7 if possible.

3. Rugby brand + 80-acre sport estate — or Cognita forest-school IB PYP?

Rugby is built around the "whole person" model — four pools including a 50m Olympic-size pool in the Webb Ellis Centre, FIBA-standard courts, 55,000m² of pitch space, and the Rugby School Group brand (where the sport was invented). Facilities and competitive sport are central to campus identity. St Andrew's leans Forest School outdoor pedagogy, eco-literacy projects, and IB PYP philosophy on a 30-rai Cognita campus (~450 students). If your child thrives on sport-heavy English-public-school atmosphere, Rugby. If ecology-curious outdoor learning and IB PYP continuity fit better, St Andrew's.

4. Pattaya-side Bang Lamung (~20 min) — or Rayong daily commute (~30 min)?

Rugby sits in Bang Lamung — typically ~20 minutes from central Pattaya, Pattaya-side for families in Jomtien, Naklua, or Bang Lamung itself. St Andrew's sits in Banchang, Rayong — ~30 minutes south, often smoother for families already in Rayong or near U-Tapao. For day students, Rugby saves ~10 minutes each way versus St Andrew's — meaningful over a school year. For boarders, commute is irrelevant; Rugby wins on proximity for weekend family visits from Pattaya.

5. Can your budget absorb Rugby's top-end fees and ฿200K acceptance?

Rugby tops the directory at ฿975,000/yr A-Level tuition plus a ฿200,000 non-refundable acceptance fee — before boarding. Over a six-year secondary journey, the cumulative premium versus St Andrew's approximate ~฿650K IBDP band is substantial. St Andrew's offers lower entry (~฿270K approximate Nursery vs Rugby Pre-Nursery half-day ฿333K) and lower Sixth Form top-end — but requires the Rayong commute and accepts approximate fee bands until you download the 2025/26 PDF. If budget at Sixth Form is the deciding factor, St Andrew's is structurally cheaper. If budget is not the constraint and boarding + A-Level brand matter most, Rugby.

Summary verdict

• Choose Rugby School Thailand if: you need boarding from age 10; Cambridge A-Level (not IB Diploma) is the right Sixth Form path; the Rugby UK brand and 80-acre sport estate matter; a Pattaya-side Bang Lamung location beats a Rayong daily commute; and budget comfortably absorbs ฿975K/yr plus ฿200K acceptance (plus boarding fees).
• Choose St Andrew's Green Valley if: you want IB Primary Years + Diploma without boarding; a Dutch-medium parallel stream matters; Forest School and eco-literacy ethos suit your child; lower top-end fees (~฿650K approximate vs Rugby's ฿975K) fit your budget; and you accept a Rayong daily commute for Cognita network portability.

Neither fits — if…

You need boarding with IB Diploma optionality — see Rugby vs Regents or St Andrew's vs Regents. You want Rayong IB day without Rugby's fee band — see Garden vs St Andrew's. You need American + IB Diploma — see ISE vs St Andrew's.