Class act! Posh parents splash out as international schools boom
Rising fees, rich kids and global goals fuel elite education surge in Thailand
Thailand’s international school sector is booming and it’s the well-heeled who are fuelling the fire. With tuition at top-tier institutions topping a whopping 1.1 million baht a year, it’s clear that wealthy families, corporate high-flyers, and expat professionals are queuing up for a classroom seat with a global edge.
Auramon Supthaweethum, head of the Department of Business Development (DBD), named international schools one of the kingdom’s “rising star” businesses in April. And the numbers back her up, a DBD analysis of 20 leading schools showed a 28% surge in total revenue last year, raking in a staggering 7.32 billion baht in 2023.
The Kasikorn Research Center counted 257 international schools across Thailand, but it’s the plush campuses in Bangkok and key expat hubs that are pulling in record enrolments. These institutions offer sleek facilities, foreign curricula, and a pupil-teacher ratio as cushy as 8:1.
“It’s not just about academics anymore,” one education analyst noted. “Parents want social status, networking opportunities, and a gateway to elite global universities.”
Exclusivity is part of the appeal, with many Thai families opting to keep their kids in-country rather than ship them off abroad.
But it’s not all plain sailing. The sector faces looming threats: a shrinking birth rate, rising overheads, and stiff competition from rival schools in ASEAN neighbours. Still, opportunities remain, especially in expat-heavy zones like Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.
Future-facing curriculums in AI, coding, and STEM are expected to keep the momentum going, as long as schools can continue offering value for the steep price tags.
As of April 30, 2025, Thailand counted 7,511 registered education businesses with a total capital of 50.6 billion baht. Of those, nearly 90% were limited companies, holding the lion’s share of investment in this booming academic goldmine, Bangkok Post reported.
Last year, a study by Kasikorn Research Centre, revealed international schools enrollments surged by 10.2% last year, despite an overall decrease in Thai student numbers. This boom is partly driven by foreign executives, whose numbers have increased by 0.6% each year over the past decade.
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Why not talk about the real business of how many of those “Kids” are going to end up “That English speaking person that you were referred to’, if they stay in Thailand?