Comparison · American vs British
ISE vs. Rugby
Sriracha vs Bang Lamung
ISE lists an American route with IB Diploma in Sriracha; Rugby lists a British A-Level route and boarding in Bang Lamung.
School comparison
Wells vs ISE
Both publish American-curriculum tuition. Wells’ published grade ceilings conflict across sources; ISE publishes an IB Diploma route. Check the year group and current fee with admissions.
The schools
Provision
| What to compare | Wells Chonburi | ISE |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Ban Bueng, Chonburi — inland corridor, Villa Forest site | Tambon Bowin, Sriracha, Chonburi — inside Burapha Golf Club |
| Curriculum | American (Wells system curriculum, US standards base) | American — AERO standards + NGSS science |
| Boarding | None published | None — day school |
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.
Wells vs ISE · standard published tuition before full-year-payment discounts (all-in rows include named mandatory charges) · fee years: Wells 2026/27; ISE 2026/27 · checked 27 July 2026
| What to compare | Wells Chonburi | ISE |
|---|---|---|
| Early years tuition | ฿320,000/yr (Nursery) → ฿390,000 (K3) | ฿357,600/yr (Pre-K2–K4) |
| Elementary tuition | ฿460,000–฿580,000/yr (G1–G6) | ฿514,200/yr (K–G5) |
| Middle school tuition | ฿630,000/yr (G7–8) | ฿600,500/yr (G6–8) |
| High school tuition | ฿690,000/yr (G9–10) · ฿760,000 priced for G11–12 | ฿617,000/yr (G9–10) · ฿646,000 (G11–12 IBDP) |
| One-time fees | ฿5,000 registration + ฿150K (EY) / ฿220K (G1+) campus development + ฿35,000 refundable deposit | ฿5,000 application + ฿90,000 enrolment + ฿50,000 refundable deposit |
| Language and learning support charges | Combined school label — “ESL Fee/Learning Support (If applicable)”: ฿30,000–฿80,000/semester where listed. | EAL only — ฿19,200–฿57,600/semester by assessed proficiency level; this is not a general learning-support tariff. |
| Transport | ฿36,000–฿80,000/semester round trip by distance | ฿70,000–฿93,700/year round trip by distance |
Beyond tuition
Other practical details
| What to compare | Wells Chonburi | ISE |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 (campus) · Wells system est. 1999 in Bangkok | 1993 — 33 years on one site |
| Grade range | Nursery → Grade 10 (G11–12 priced; cohort TBC on this campus) | Pre-K2 → Grade 12 — full run on one campus |
| Exit credential on campus | US high-school diploma track to G10 — G11+ currently means flagship transfer or TBC cohort | US diploma + IB Diploma in G11–12, running since 2004 |
| Accreditation | Wells system WASC-accredited since 2009 — confirm Chonburi campus coverage on tour | WASC since 1999 in its own right · authorised IB World School |
| Scale | New campus — enrolment building; verify current cohort sizes per grade on tour | enrolment not published · student-to-teacher ratio below 8:1 |
| First-year written quote | Request Year 9 tuition plus compulsory entry charges, services and payment dates; the published tariff alone is not a total quote. | Request Year 9 tuition plus compulsory entry charges, services and payment dates; the published tariff alone is not a total quote. |
| Catchment logic | Inland Chonburi · Amata/Pinthong estates · Ban Bueng — ask about the journey from your address | Sriracha · Laem Chabang · Bowin · ask about the journey from your address |
Official sources and dates
Wells International School — Chonburi Campus school website · fee material · dated profile sources
International School Eastern Seaboard school website · fee material · dated profile sources
Before you decide
Where the routes differ
1. Where does your child graduate — and with what credential?
This is the decisive question, and it is not close. ISE runs Pre-K to Grade 12 on one campus with the IB Diploma in the final two years — a programme it has operated since 2004, with graduate cohorts, a current Class of 2026 acceptances block, and school-published university guidance to ask about. A child who enrols at ISE at age 5 can graduate at 18 without changing schools. Wells Chonburi currently runs to Grade 10. Grades 11–12 are on the published fee sheet at ฿750K, but the cohort on this campus is unconfirmed — the system's AP courses, SAT centre, and university counselling live at the On Nut flagship in Bangkok. If your child is within five years of Grade 11, demand a written answer about where they will finish school before you enrol. If admissions cannot give one, plan a G11 transfer — to ISE, MIS, or Bangkok — and price it in.
2. Which geography are you actually living in?
These campuses are 45+ minutes apart and serve different maps. Wells in Ban Bueng exists for the inland corridor — Amata City, Pinthong, Chonburi city, Ban Bueng itself — where it is the first credibly backed international-curriculum school families do not have to drive to the coast for. ISE in Bowin serves Sriracha, Laem Chabang, and northern Pattaya — its bus routes and family base run along the coastal Sukhumvit spine. A family in central Pattaya is 45–60 minutes from Wells and 30–45 from ISE; a family in Amata housing is the mirror image. For a daily school run, the geography usually decides before the pedagogy gets a vote.
3. Established small school or new satellite of an established system?
ISE publishes operation since 1993, WASC accreditation since 1999 and a student-to-teacher ratio below 8:1; current enrolment is not published. Wells Chonburi opened in 2022 and belongs to a longer-established Bangkok school system. Ask Wells which system-level accreditation, assessment, reporting and staff-development arrangements apply specifically to Chonburi. Request current cohort sizes and subject availability from both schools.
4. Can your budget absorb the front-loaded Wells entry — or the ISE annual rate?
Both schools publish real numbers, so do the arithmetic for your actual entry year. Wells is cheaper per year through lower elementary (Wells ฿460K in G1–2 vs ISE's ฿514K K–G5 band) but charges ฿150K–฿220K non-refundable campus development on entry — money you lose if the family relocates after two years. ISE charges higher headline tuition with ฿145K in entry cash outlay (฿50K refundable) — easier to exit, easier for employer packages to audit. Short expected stay or relocation risk favours ISE's structure; a committed 10-year inland family amortises the Wells development fee to noise. At G9–10 the price advantage flips to ISE outright.
5. Does anyone in this decision need the IB Diploma specifically?
If the answer is yes, the comparison ends: ISE is an American school offering the IBDP. Regents and Garden also publish IB Diploma routes; see the IB Diploma hub. An American-curriculum base with an IB exit is a genuinely strong university-application combination in both US and non-US systems. Wells' published path tops out at a US diploma track — strong for US-bound students if the G11–12 cohort materialises, but unproven on this campus. Families wanting AP courses should note those run at Wells On Nut in Bangkok, not in Ban Bueng.
Other comparisons
For a different age span, curriculum, boarding option or location, browse MIS vs TPIS · British schools hub · Rugby vs St Andrews · ISE vs Regents · budget schools hub. Check the linked source’s date and fee conditions before shortlisting.
Confirm the open grades. Then compare continuity.
Wells Chonburi and ISE should each confirm the child’s exact year, start date, class availability and next curriculum stages. Wells families need particular clarity on the grades currently operating at the Chonburi campus and which later stages require another campus or school; ISE families should verify the subject-level American and IB route for the relevant cohort.
Request complete dated invoices using identical rows for tuition, application, registration, deposits, meals, transport, books, uniforms, trips, examinations, clubs and support. Compare standard fees before payment discounts and separate acceptance-stage cash, the full first year and recurring costs.
Observe the offered classroom, current pupil work, teacher feedback and language-support routine. Ask who delivers any additional provision, its frequency, review date and price. Drive both routes at normal school times and obtain exact bus timing where relevant.
Save one decision record containing confirmed grade availability, classroom evidence, complete costs, support, commute and the next transfer or pathway checkpoint. Any future Wells phase or ISE subject option remains provisional until the school confirms it for the child in writing.
Common questions
Which American school on the Eastern Seaboard offers the IB Diploma?
ISE — the IB Diploma has run in Grades 11–12 since 2004, an established programme. Wells Chonburi currently runs to Grade 10; its G11–12 years are priced but the cohort is unconfirmed, and the Wells system's AP/IB infrastructure sits at the Bangkok flagship.
Which is cheaper — Wells Chonburi or ISE?
Wells starts at ฿320K in Nursery but reaches ฿690K in G9–10 and ฿760K in the priced G11–12 band; ISE runs from ฿357,600 to ฿646,000. ISE is lower from the middle/senior comparison onward. Wells' one-time campus-development fee is ฿150K–฿220K; ISE charges ฿90K enrolment plus a ฿50K refundable deposit.
Are Wells Chonburi and ISE both WASC-accredited?
The Wells system holds WASC accreditation (since 2009) through its Bangkok schools — confirm on tour exactly how the Chonburi campus is covered. ISE has been WASC-accredited in its own right since 1999 and is also an authorised IB World School.
Which school is closer to Pattaya?
ISE — Tambon Bowin, Sriracha, roughly 30–45 minutes from North Pattaya. Wells Chonburi is in Ban Bueng, 45–60 minutes from central Pattaya, built for the inland Chonburi/Amata corridor rather than the coast.
Do Wells Chonburi or ISE offer boarding?
Neither publishes a boarding programme. Both are day schools — families needing boarding on the Eastern Seaboard look at Rugby School Thailand or St Andrews Green Valley instead. See the boarding schools hub.