SISB Rayong vs Wells Chonburi

Ask both schools to state the child’s proposed class, start date, age cut-off, core hours and following year’s class. SISB publishes Nursery, Kindergarten, Primary and Grades 7–12 fee rows. Wells publishes Nursery, K1–3 and Grades 1–12 fee rows. Similar ages do not guarantee identical placement.

SISB’s 2026/27 new-applicant range stops at Grade 10 even though fees continue to Grade 12. Wells’s campus, home and enquiry pages indicate different upper grades. Ask which classes are physically operating, accepting pupils and expected to progress next year; record the answer in the offer.

SISB records English, Thai and Mandarin. Ask for the weekly allocation, language used for each subject, support for newcomers and how Singapore Primary transitions into the Grades 7–8 hybrid and Cambridge stages.

Wells records English and an American curriculum. Ask for Thai provision, the standards used in each subject, current upper-grade options and evidence that classroom work maps to the stated programme.

At both visits, watch how teachers explain unfamiliar tasks, how pupils seek help and what happens when learners work at different speeds. Request anonymised current work and the reporting format. Curriculum labels become useful only when the school can show their daily implementation.

SISB’s 2026/27 tuition runs from ฿401,700 in Nursery to ฿789,300 in Grades 11–12. Its published application and assessment fees are ฿5,000 each, enrolment is ฿220,000 and the refundable deposit is ฿50,000. Annual resources are ฿30,500–฿84,000, meals ฿26,400–฿39,000 and required ELS ฿20,000–฿30,000 per term.

Wells’s 2026/27 tuition runs from ฿320,000 Nursery to ฿760,000 Grades 11–12. Registration is ฿5,000 from K1, the non-refundable development fee is ฿150,000 in Nursery–K3 or ฿220,000 in Grades 1–12, and the refundable Grade 1–12 deposit is ฿35,000.

Wells prices lunch at ฿15,000 per semester unless approved home lunch applies, ESL/support at ฿30,000–฿80,000 per semester, round-trip bus at ฿36,000–฿80,000 per semester and one-way bus at ฿25,200–฿56,000. SISB excludes transport without publishing a price.

Create three totals: cash before attendance, complete first year and normal recurring year. Mark refundable deposits, one-time charges, grade-dependent rows and optional services. Use only the exact written offer for the child, because neither range represents a universal total.

SISB publishes Cambridge IGCSE and AS/A-Level after its Singapore stages, but parents should confirm which upper grades currently operate and accept newcomers. Ask for present subjects, cohort sizes, examination preparation and the record supplied on transfer.

Wells publishes an American route, while official pages disagree on the upper-grade ceiling. Ask what diploma or completion credential the Chonburi campus currently offers, which courses run, how credits are recorded and whether any provision belongs only to another Wells campus.

Rehearse an international relocation after two years. Ask each school for the transcript, curriculum map, language evidence and teacher references it would supply, then ask a likely receiving school how placement would be decided. A familiar label does not guarantee identical year mapping.

SISB publishes English Language Support at ฿20,000–฿30,000 per term. Wells publishes ESL and learning-support bands of ฿30,000–฿80,000 per semester. A price band does not describe the service, so ask what assessment triggers it, whether it is required for admission, how often support runs and whether pupils leave another lesson to attend.

If support matters to acceptance, request the responsible staff member, group size, minutes per week, review date, progress measure and exit criteria. Separate English acquisition from learning, developmental and wellbeing needs. Ask what happens if the child needs more than the published band covers and which outside assessments the family must fund.

Bring existing reports before assessment and ask admissions to confirm any limitations in writing. Compare the actual plan for this child, including classroom adaptations and teacher communication, rather than assuming that a higher fee or longer school span guarantees broader provision.

SISB is in Nong Taphan, Ban Khai; Wells is in Ban Bueng, Chonburi. Drive both routes at intended arrival and collection times, including work, sibling stops and activities. Record normal and rainy-day door-to-door time rather than comparing map distance.

SISB excludes transport without a published tariff. Wells publishes per-semester bus bands, but the applicable band depends on the route. Ask each school for pickup windows, likely vehicle time, supervision, late-bus rules and the exact address price. Neither school lists boarding in the sources reviewed, so residential care is not part of this comparison.

1. Placement: exact class, hours, current grade operation and next class.
2. Learning: language allocation, programme map, current work and reporting evidence.
3. Cost: acceptance cash, first year, recurring year and refund exposure.
4. Support: named provision, frequency, staffing, review and price.
5. Transition: SISB’s Cambridge route or Wells’s American credit and completion evidence.

Save the offers, fee schedules, calendars and placement answers together. Keep every missing charge or grade commitment open until admissions confirms it in writing.

Arrive before the class begins and watch the transition from gate to room. Record how quickly the child separates, who welcomes them, which language adults use and whether the routine is understandable without repeated prompting. Ask what happens on a difficult morning and how parents are informed. A polished tour after children leave cannot answer these questions.

Ask for an anonymised starting assessment, mid-year report and work from the proposed class. At SISB, trace how English, Thai and Mandarin learning maps to Singapore Primary and later Cambridge stages. At Wells, ask how work maps to American grade-level standards and the subjects actually offered in the highest operating grade.

Record the balance of adult-led, child-initiated, individual and group activity during the visit. Ask how teachers adapt the same task for a child who is new to English, already reading or reluctant to join a group. The right environment is not defined by one teaching philosophy; it is the setting where staff can explain how this child will participate and progress.

Confirm arrival supervision, meals, allergies, illness procedures, late collection and after-school care. SISB prices meals and resources separately; Wells makes lunch mandatory unless home lunch is approved. Ask both schools to write down standard hours, care charges, activity costs and holiday arrangements.

Place both calendars beside the family’s work calendar. Count closures that require alternative care and ask whether holiday programmes are offered, separately registered or guaranteed to enrolled pupils. A school-year tuition comparison does not capture care purchased during long breaks.

SISB’s campus is in Nong Taphan, Ban Khai; Wells is in Ban Bueng. Verify each entrance, transport route and contract address before payment. Test gate queues, parking and the return journey. Have the actual collector rehearse both routes.

Neither school lists boarding in the sources reviewed. A family requiring residential care should treat that as a non-fit, not assume a future service will appear.

For each school, finish the sentence: “This place works if…” Include the quoted total, language routine, classroom fit, support availability, care hours, travel ceiling and next-school plan. Then write the conditions that would trigger a review. This prevents a single attractive feature from hiding an unresolved cost or transition risk.

Run the same exercise for two future dates. At age six, compare SISB Primary with Wells Grade 1 on language, teaching approach, confirmed placement and complete price. At age eleven, recheck SISB’s Cambridge transition and Wells’s operating grades, subjects and American credit route. Published senior fee rows are planning inputs, not proof of live delivery.

Ask how each school handles a mid-year departure before assuming either transfer will happen neatly at the end of a stage. Record required notice, reports supplied, outstanding-fee conditions and whether unused services can be refunded. A family expecting relocation should weight these documented terms alongside teaching and price.

Do not pay while a condition remains material and unanswered. Ask admissions to attach corrections to the offer email, keep copies of both 2026/27 fee schedules and note who supplied every grade answer. That record makes the decision auditable even when advertised age spans are broader than current admissions evidence.