International Elementary School Bangkok: 2026-27 Primary Fees at Nine Schools, Year 1 vs Grade 1, EAL Support and How to Choose

If you are moving to Bangkok and looking for an international elementary school for your child, the first thing that trips you up is usually not the fees but the names of the year groups. One school calls your six-year-old “Year 2”, another “Grade 1”, and an IB school talks about the “PYP”. Fee tables are printed in bands such as “Year 1-2” or “Grade 3-4”, so it takes a while to work out which line actually applies to your child.

This guide looks at the primary section (British schools say primary, American schools say elementary) of nine well-known international schools. It puts their official 2026-27 primary fees in one table and then works through what parents of younger children ask first: how year groups and age cut-off dates work, whether a child with little English can get in, how admissions run, which part of the city each campus is in, and how to narrow the list down.

Every figure comes from the schools’ own websites or fee PDFs, checked on 4 November 2026. Yen equivalents use one reference rate for all schools (THB 1 = JPY 4.6893, 3 November 2026) and are rounded estimates.

The short answer: THB 392,000 to 1,015,000 a year, and one-off fees change the picture

• Annual primary tuition, 2026-27: among these nine schools, the lowest is Wells International School at THB 392,000 for Grades 1-2 (about JPY 1.84 million) and the highest is International School Bangkok (ISB) at THB 1,015,000 for Kindergarten to Grade 5 (about JPY 4.76 million). The five British-curriculum schools sit between roughly THB 636,000 and 962,000.
• One-off, non-refundable fees on entry: from THB 6,500 for Year 1 entry at St Andrews International School Bangkok (its enrolment fee is waived for Year 1) to THB 273,500 at NIST International School. Several schools also take a refundable deposit, from THB 35,000 to THB 575,000.
• Age cut-offs: British schools and NIST group children born between 1 September and 31 August. For 2026-27, Year 1 is for children born 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021. ISB, which follows the American system, places children by their age on 1 September: five-year-olds go into Kindergarten and six-year-olds into Grade 1. The same child can be in Year 1 at a British school and in Kindergarten at ISB.
• Children with limited English: policies differ. ISB has no minimum English requirement from Pre-K to Grade 4, and NIST accepts beginner English learners in its elementary years. EAL places are limited by year group, and Bangkok Patana School charges THB 105,000 a year for EAL where it is needed.
• Against a Japanese School: for Japanese families, primary tuition at these schools is roughly 2.7 to 7 times the THB 146,000 a year charged by the Thai-Japanese Association School (Japanese School Bangkok).

There is no single “best primary international school in Bangkok”. This guide does not rank schools; it lays out what each one publishes so that you can match it to your child. Keep three things in mind as you read: your child’s birth month, their English today, and where you plan to live.

Line up the year groups first: British Years, American Grades and the IB PYP

International primary schools in Bangkok fall into three broad types.

• British: Bangkok Patana School, Shrewsbury International School Bangkok, Harrow International School Bangkok, Bangkok Prep and St Andrews International School Bangkok, among others. Primary runs from Year 1 to Year 6, after Reception or Foundation Stage.
• American: International School Bangkok (ISB) and Wells International School. Elementary normally runs from Kindergarten to Grade 5 (K-5).
• IB Primary Years Programme (PYP): NIST International School and KIS International School Bangkok. The PYP is the IB’s framework for roughly ages 3 to 12; what the year groups are called depends on the school (NIST uses Years, KIS uses Grades).

The detail that catches families out is the age cut-off date. The official tables at Harrow Bangkok and Shrewsbury put Year 1 in 2026-27 at “born 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021 (age 5+)” and Year 6 at “born 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016”. Bangkok Patana says it places children according to British age norms, with the cut-off running from 1 September to 31 August. NIST’s year-level conversion chart puts the same birth window in its Year 1 and lists it as equivalent to UK Year 1 and US Kindergarten.

ISB, by contrast, asks that a child be “3 / 4 / 5 / 6 years old on or before September 1st of the enrollment year”. Take a child born in October 2020: in August 2026 they would start Year 1 at a British school or at NIST, but Kindergarten at ISB. (In Japan, where school years run from births on 2 April to 1 April, the same child would start first grade in April 2027.) British Year 1 therefore starts a year earlier than American Grade 1, and Year 2 is the closer match to Grade 1.

This matters when you read a fee table. NIST’s “Year 1” fee (THB 840,500) is for the American Kindergarten age group; a child of Grade 1 age is in NIST’s Year 2 (THB 889,200). For a fuller explanation of how the curricula differ, see our guide to the types of international schools.

International elementary school fees in Bangkok, 2026-27 (official)

The table below shows each school’s published annual tuition for its primary years (Years 1-6, or Kindergarten/Grades 1-5) for 2026-27, alongside the fees charged when a child joins. Non-refundable fees (application, registration, entrance) are kept separate from deposits that are returned when a child leaves. Lunch, buses, uniforms and EAL fees are generally not included in the annual figure (Bangkok Patana includes lunch for primary pupils, Harrow provides lunch at no extra charge, and Bangkok Prep includes meals).

Sources: each school’s official website or fee PDF, checked 4 November 2026. Yen at THB 1 = JPY 4.6893 (3 November 2026). Schools are ordered by the annual fee for their first primary year group, not by quality. Fees are revised every year and most schools offer sibling or advance-payment discounts, so confirm the final figure with the school.

Three things stand out. First, fees rise through the primary years within the same school: Shrewsbury’s Years 5-6 cost THB 93,300 more than Years 1-2, and Harrow’s Year 6 costs THB 81,600 more than Years 1-5. Second, one-off fees do not follow the same order as tuition: KIS and NIST charge more than THB 260,000 on entry, while Harrow and Shrewsbury, with higher tuition, charge THB 230,000. Third, refundable deposits change how much cash you need in year one: Shrewsbury asks for a THB 225,000 deposit on top of its non-refundable fees before the first term.

School by school: what the primary years look like

Bangkok Patana School: British curriculum, lunch included in primary

Bangkok Patana is on Lasalle Road (Sukhumvit 105) in Bang Na and follows the British curriculum through to IGCSE and the IB Diploma. Primary tuition runs from THB 749,000 in Years 1-2 to THB 811,000 in Year 6, and lunch is included from Nursery to Year 6. The entrance fee is THB 250,000 for a first child (THB 200,000 for siblings); families joining in Year 1 can pay THB 40,000 up front and the balance before Year 3. The school also states that no single nationality will exceed 20% of its students. Our Bangkok Patana School fees guide covers every year group in detail.

NIST International School: an IB school in central Sukhumvit

NIST is on Sukhumvit Soi 15 and teaches the full IB continuum (PYP, MYP and DP). Year 1 costs THB 840,500 and Years 2-6 cost THB 889,200. Remember that NIST’s Year 1 is the American Kindergarten age group, so a child of Grade 1 age should look at the Year 2 line. For campus development, families choose between THB 60,500 a year and a refundable THB 575,000 deposit. More detail is in our NIST International School fees guide.

International School Bangkok (ISB): the American school at Nichada Thani

ISB’s campus is in Nichada Thani, Pakkret, in Nonthaburi province just north of the city. Kindergarten to Grade 5 is a single fee of THB 1,015,000, the highest of the nine. In return, EAL support is included in tuition and there is no minimum English requirement from Pre-K to Grade 4. New families pay a THB 260,000 registration fee, and every student pays a THB 22,000 annual fee.

Shrewsbury International School Bangkok: Riverside and City Campus

Shrewsbury has a Riverside campus on Charoen Krung Road and a City Campus off Rama 9 Road in Huai Khwang, with the same primary fees at both. It describes itself as “a selective school” and advises applying at least 12 months before the intended start date.

Harrow International School Bangkok: British boarding and day school in Don Mueang

Harrow Bangkok is in Don Mueang in the north of the city and also offers boarding. Years 1-5 cost THB 880,300 and Year 6 costs THB 961,900. The admission fee is THB 225,000 (THB 100,000 less for children of alumni), with a THB 200,000 deposit for day pupils.

Bangkok Prep: a British school on Sukhumvit 77

Its full name is Bangkok International Preparatory & Secondary School. The campus is on Sukhumvit 77 near On Nut, and the school describes its curriculum as the English National Curriculum adapted to Thai culture and society. Primary fees run from THB 706,400 to 749,500, including meals and, from Year 3, a personal device.

KIS International School Bangkok: an IB school in Huai Khwang

KIS is on Pracha-Uthit Road in Huai Khwang. Early Years 3 to Grade 5 is a single fee of THB 756,800. On top of the THB 260,000 registration fee, families choose between a THB 45,000 annual development fee and a refundable THB 250,000 development fund.

St Andrews International School Bangkok: no enrolment fee for Year 1 entry

The St Andrews primary campus is on Sukhumvit 71 (Pridi Banomyong). Year 1 costs THB 636,200 and Years 3-6 cost THB 682,000, the lowest of the British schools here. The school states that “for students joining Foundation Stage 2, Foundation Stage 3, or Year 1, the enrolment fee will be waived”; Year 1 families pay a THB 50,000 seat reservation fee, which is then deducted from tuition.

Wells International School: an American school on three campuses

Wells uses one fee schedule for its On Nut, Thong Lor (Sukhumvit 51) and Bang Na (Srinakarin 62) campuses, and offers the IB Diploma in high school. Grades 1-2 cost THB 392,000, the lowest of the nine, with a THB 140,000 campus development fee as the main one-off cost. Its fee schedule also says fees are expected to rise by around 6-10% a year. If cost is your main concern, see our guide to affordable international schools in Bangkok.

Can a child with little English get in? EAL and the admissions process

For families arriving from Japan, Korea, China or elsewhere, English is usually the biggest worry. EAL (English as an Additional Language) support helps children who are still learning English to follow lessons, and schools handle it in quite different ways.

• ISB: no minimum English requirement from Pre-K to Grade 4; from Grade 5 a minimum level applies and rises by division. EAL is included in tuition, but places are limited in each grade, and a child cannot receive EAL and learning support at the same time.
• NIST: the elementary years accept beginner English learners, and there is no extra charge for EAL. The school may limit the number of EAL students in each year level.
• Bangkok Patana: applicants who are not native English speakers are assessed by an EAL specialist before a place is confirmed. Where EAL is needed in Years 1-9, it costs THB 105,000 a year, and the availability of EAL support is considered when places are offered from the waiting pool.
• Wells: ESL and learning support are charged per semester where needed. Across all grades from kindergarten to high school, the fee schedule shows THB 28,000 to 80,000 a semester, depending on grade.
• Bangkok Prep and KIS: both say they provide EAL support for children with limited English; we could not find the fees on their sites.

We could not confirm primary EAL policies for Harrow Bangkok, St Andrews or Shrewsbury from their published pages. If you are considering them, ask directly before applying: which year group could my child join with their current English, and what does EAL cost?

The admissions process is broadly similar everywhere: enquiry and visit, online application with a fee, assessment (for younger children usually an informal session or observation; for older ones English and maths), an offer, and then payment of the registration fee and deposit to secure the place. If a year group is full, your child joins a waiting pool, where siblings and alumni families are often prioritised. Popular year groups fill early: Bangkok Patana opened 2027/28 applications on 1 September 2026, and Shrewsbury recommends applying at least a year ahead. Our guide to international school admissions in Bangkok covers each school’s process and timing.

The most useful preparation before your child starts is not raising a test score but getting used to being spoken to in English. Even with good EAL support, the first months are tiring for a young child. Reading English picture books together, or joining short online lessons in English, makes English an ordinary part of the day and smooths the transition.

Narrow it down by area: Sukhumvit, Bang Na, Nichada Thani and Don Mueang

Bangkok traffic is heavy, and the location of a school shapes every school day. Here are the official addresses grouped by area. We have not given commute times, because they depend so much on where you live and when you travel.

• Central Sukhumvit: NIST (Soi 15)
• East Sukhumvit (Thong Lor, Phra Khanong, On Nut): Bangkok Prep (Soi 77), St Andrews primary campus (Soi 71), Wells On Nut and Thong Lor (Soi 51)
• Bang Na: Bangkok Patana (Lasalle Road, Sukhumvit 105), Wells Bang Na (Srinakarin 62)
• Rama 9 and Huai Khwang: Shrewsbury City Campus, KIS
• Riverside: Shrewsbury Riverside (Charoen Krung Road)
• North and suburbs: ISB (Nichada Thani, Nonthaburi), Harrow Bangkok (Don Mueang)

Decide early whether you will choose a school and then find a home nearby, or the other way round. Bus routes and prices also vary, so ask on your visit whether there is a route from your area. For a wider overview of the city’s schools, see our guide to international schools in Bangkok.

For Japanese families: comparing with the Japanese School in Bangkok

Bangkok is home to the Thai-Japanese Association School, which Japan’s Ministry of Education describes as the first Japanese School abroad. Tuition is paid by term and comes to THB 146,000 a year (about JPY 680,000) for both elementary and junior high, with an entrance fee of THB 160,000 (about JPY 750,000). International primary tuition in the table above (THB 392,000 to 1,015,000) is roughly 2.7 to 7 times that.

Beyond cost, three points are worth weighing.

• Returning to Japan: the Japanese School teaches the Japanese national curriculum, so moving back into a school in Japan is straightforward. After several years at an international school, families need a plan for Japanese reading, writing and maths.
• Time learning in English: at an international school, lessons themselves are in English. At the Japanese School, English-medium learning has to be added at home or after school.
• Who can enrol: the Japanese School generally requires the child to hold Japanese nationality (or be approved by the school board). International schools depend more on available places and EAL capacity than on nationality.

Fees at Japanese Schools across Asia are compared in our guide to Japanese school abroad tuition.

How to choose in three steps: birth month, English, first-year total

Once you have the facts side by side, three steps make the shortlist manageable.

• Step 1: Use the birth month to find the year group. British schools and NIST group births from 1 September to 31 August, so Year 1 in 2026-27 is for children born September 2020 to August 2021. ISB uses age on 1 September. Once you know the year group, you know which line of each fee table to read.
• Step 2: Check English requirements and EAL places and fees. ISB has no English requirement up to Grade 4, NIST accepts beginners in elementary, and Patana charges THB 105,000 a year for EAL. Places are limited by year group, so ask about availability before you apply.
• Step 3: Work out the first-year total and the commute. Add non-refundable entry fees (up to THB 273,500), any refundable deposit and the bus to the annual tuition, then combine that with the journey from home to get down to two or three schools.

If an employer pays the fees, check before you move whether one-off fees, deposits, EAL and buses are covered. And if no school has a place, or another posting is likely within a few years, it helps to have a way of learning that does not depend on your address. You can see how classes work at NGA in our online school curriculum overview.

Where NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY fits

NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY (NGA) is an online international school for ages 6–18, planned to open in September 2027. It is run by NIJIN Inc., which operates NIJIN Academy, an online school in Japan for children who do not attend school, where more than 1,000 children have studied. NGA plans small live classes in which subjects are taught in English and supported by bilingual Japanese–English mentors, with admission that is not based on test-score rankings. The admissions process itself has not yet been published.

To be clear about the limits: NGA has not opened, is not accredited, has not published its fees and has no graduates. It is not a substitute for a Bangkok international school if your child needs a campus, classmates and a playground every day. Where we hope to help is for families who want to add English-medium learning alongside the Japanese School, who are waiting for a place, or who expect to leave Bangkok within a few years and do not want their child’s learning to break off.

FAQ

At what age can a child start at an international primary school in Bangkok?

At British schools and NIST, Year 1 in 2026-27 is for children born 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021 (age 5+). At ISB, a child who is six on 1 September joins Grade 1 and a five-year-old joins Kindergarten. All of these schools also have early years classes before that (Foundation Stage, Reception or Pre-K); ISB’s Pre-Kindergarten costs THB 659,000 a year.

Can my child join with no English at all?

It depends on the school and the year group. ISB has no minimum English requirement from Pre-K to Grade 4, and NIST accepts beginner English learners in its elementary years. EAL places are limited, though, so a full year group means a waiting pool. Patana assesses English before confirming a place and charges THB 105,000 a year where EAL is needed.

Which international elementary school in Bangkok has the lowest fees?

Of the nine schools here, Wells International School has the lowest tuition, at THB 392,000 a year for Grades 1-2. It also charges a THB 140,000 campus development fee and lunch separately. Other schools outside this list may cost less, so compare first-year totals, not tuition alone.

Is Year 1 the same as Grade 1?

No. British Year 1 starts at age five and matches American Kindergarten; American Grade 1 matches British Year 2. NIST’s own conversion chart lists its Year 1 as equivalent to US Kindergarten.

Before the fee table, write down two things: birth month and English today

Primary tuition at Bangkok international schools ranges from about THB 392,000 to 1,015,000 a year, more than a twofold gap, and one-off fees and deposits reshape the first year again. Yet the questions that matter most are simple: which year group your child will join, which schools’ EAL can take them with the English they have now, and where you will travel from each morning. Answer those three, and nine schools quickly become two or three.

If you would also like to compare a way of learning that stays the same wherever you live, consider keeping NIJIN GLOBAL ACADEMY on your list. Ahead of the planned September 2027 opening, we expect to run trial classes in April–May 2027.

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