Chiang Mai Internationals Schools

[cqr]

On my website I have a map that’s show location of the property we have for sale and rent, for that I have added locations of International Schools here in Chiang Mai, but I’m not sure I have all of them, the one I have is:

Prem International School

Nakornpayap International School

Chiang Mai International School

American Pacific International School

Grace International School

Lanna International School

Chiangmai Christian German School

Does anyone know if there is more than theses 7 International schools in Chiang Mai, then I would like to have information about location and if possible there website, to see the locations of the schools I already have, look at the map http://www.houseinchiangmai.net/map_Office.asp

/Claus Christensen

[chiangmaibruce]

This may be of interest

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Internationa...&hl=schools

[cqr]

I seems like there also should be a school named Tridhos School in Mae Rim and Fatih High School in the city, does anyone know if they still exists.

/Claus Christensen

[Loaded]

Fatih is now known as Wichai Wittalayai and it's not an International school but a private school with a bilingual programme.

[Sledge71]

On my website I have a map that’s show location of the property we have for sale and rent, for that I have added locations of International Schools here in Chiang Mai, but I’m not sure I have all of them, the one I have is:

Prem International School

Nakornpayap International School

Chiang Mai International School

American Pacific International School

Grace International School

Lanna International School

Chiangmai Christian German School

Does anyone know if there is more than theses 7 International schools in Chiang Mai, then I would like to have information about location and if possible there website, to see the locations of the schools I already have, look at the map http://www.houseinchiangmai.net/map_Office.asp

/Claus Christensen

You mean your trying to generate traffic to your website to boost it's rankings in search engines... Oh please.

[cqr]

You mean your trying to generate traffic to your website to boost it's rankings in search engines... Oh please.

No I’m not trying to boost the ranking! I get many questions about location of international Schools here in Chiang Mai, and add this to my website, and I can’t see a reason not to let other user on this forum to easily find the location of International Schools, showed on a map easily to find, together with Golf Course that I also are adding.

And if I wanted to boost my ranking, I have added my key word like …………..

/Claus Christensen

[Wandering]

Looks like I need to post this again.

--------

This info is not easily found on the web. I already made a list so you can use mine. There are probably more because the cost of these schools keeps going up, creating small groups such as the homeschool co-op.

Grace International School http://www.gisthailand.org/

Chiang Mai International School http://www.cmis.ac.th/

Prem Tinsulanonda International School http://www.premcenter.in.th/

Nakorn Payap International School http://www.cm.ksc.co.th/~nakorn

Ake Panya International School [email protected]

Lanna International School http://www.lannaist.ac.th/

American Pacific International School http://www.apis.ac.th

Chiang Mai Christian German School http://www.cdscm.org/

Fatih High Muslim School http://www.fatih.ac.th/ (Wichai Witaya)

Tridhos School http://www.tridhos.ac.th

Prince Royal's College http://www.prc.ac.th/

Montfort matayom http://www.montfort.ac.th/

Dara Academy arts school http://www.dara.ac.th/dara3/index.php

Regina Coeilli http://www.regina.ac.th/

Varee Chaingmai School (VCS)

Sacred Heart

See also (http://www.eppo.go.th/index_thaigov.html)

See also (http://www.thailanddaily.net/thai-government.asp)

See also (http://www.chiangmaiinfo.com/directory/categories/international)

[cqr]

Looks like I need to post this again.

--------

This info is not easily found on the web. I already made a list so you can use mine. There are probably more because the cost of these schools keeps going up, creating small groups such as the homeschool co-op.

Grace International School http://www.gisthailand.org/

Chiang Mai International School http://www.cmis.ac.th/

Prem Tinsulanonda International School http://www.premcenter.in.th/

Nakorn Payap International School http://www.cm.ksc.co.th/~nakorn

Ake Panya International School [email protected]

Lanna International School http://www.lannaist.ac.th/

American Pacific International School http://www.apis.ac.th

Chiang Mai Christian German School http://www.cdscm.org/

Fatih High Muslim School http://www.fatih.ac.th/ (Wichai Witaya)

Tridhos School http://www.tridhos.ac.th

Prince Royal's College http://www.prc.ac.th/

Montfort matayom http://www.montfort.ac.th/

Dara Academy arts school http://www.dara.ac.th/dara3/index.php

Regina Coeilli http://www.regina.ac.th/

Varee Chaingmai School (VCS)

Sacred Heart

See also (http://www.eppo.go.th/index_thaigov.html)

See also (http://www.thailanddaily.net/thai-government.asp)

See also (http://www.chiangmaiinfo.com/directory/categories/international)

I have looked at the thred and I have

Grace International School http://www.gisthailand.org/

Chiang Mai International School http://www.cmis.ac.th/

Prem Tinsulanonda International School http://www.premcenter.in.th/

Nakorn Payap International School http://www.cm.ksc.co.th/~nakorn

Ake Panya International School [email protected] (has changed to American Pacific International School)

Lanna International School http://www.lannaist.ac.th/

American Pacific International School http://www.apis.ac.th

Chiang Mai Christian German School http://www.cdscm.org/

These I couldn’t access to read about

Fatih High Muslim School http://www.fatih.ac.th/ (Wichai Witaya) is recording to Loaded not a International School

Tridhos School http://www.tridhos.ac.th I still dont know about this one

These are not International schools but Thai schools with bilingual programme

Prince Royal's College http://www.prc.ac.th/

Montfort matayom http://www.montfort.ac.th/

Dara Academy arts school http://www.dara.ac.th/dara3/index.php

Regina Coeilli http://www.regina.ac.th/

Varee Chaingmai School (VCS)

Wichai Wittalayai

so many thanks for the link

/Claus Christensen

[zippydedodah]

as a concerned parent, moving to CM next year from USA... i have to ask... what do folks MEAN by international school?

Does the word international have to be in the "name"

Is it accredited by YOUR country? and just which country is that?

If it is accredited, by what agency/government?

Wikipedia says: An International school is loosely defined as a school that does not require their students to learn the national or local language of the country the school is located in.

Well, that does not help me much if i want my daughter to be able to apply to Cal Berkeley or

Stanford without a hassle...

sorry if all this has been discussed before, but i have searched many threads and don't see such basic facts addressed.

I went to US State Department, where they list the "official" international schools and there is only one in CM...

so what are all these other international schools about?

zippy

[Diablo Bob]

as a concerned parent, moving to CM next year from USA... i have to ask... what do folks MEAN by international school?

Does the word international have to be in the "name"

Is it accredited by YOUR country? and just which country is that?

If it is accredited, by what agency/government?

Wikipedia says: An International school is loosely defined as a school that does not require their students to learn the national or local language of the country the school is located in.

Well, that does not help me much if i want my daughter to be able to apply to Cal Berkeley or

Stanford without a hassle...

sorry if all this has been discussed before, but i have searched many threads and don't see such basic facts addressed.

I went to US State Department, where they list the "official" international schools and there is only one in CM...

so what are all these other international schools about?

zippy

I currently have two children at Nakorn Payap...... NIS is accredited by WASC, a US Based agency. I believe that most, if not all the International Schools are accredited. The differences between the schools seems to be the style of the curriculmn, such as American standard, British Standard etc.

I can't speak about the other schools, but at NIS classes are taught in English but the students are still required to study Thai.

I can't comment on the DoS list of official schools in Chiangmai, what is important to me is the following:

"In November 2002 the University of California passed a policy that requires all schools that want UC approval of courses to meet the a-g requirements to be accredited by WASC or at least be an initial WASC candidate. Those that currently have approval but are not accredited with WASC must comply by June 2006.

Accreditation is required with respect to the Cal Grants.

The WASC/CDE (California Department of Education) process serves as the basis for the Single Plan for Student Achievement.

Colleges and universities examine transcripts to determine if the students have attended accredited institutions.

Teachers will not receive credit for the years during which they taught at a non-accredited school by many schools/districts nationwide. WASC receive calls from school personnel who are recruiting applicants for teaching positions with respect to their prior schools of employment.

The military recruiters expect the applicants to be from accredited schools.

Many districts have policies to accept credits only from WASC accredited schools or schools accredited by other regionals with whom WASC has reciprocal agreements."

[CMMCB]

These I couldn’t access to read about

Fatih High Muslim School http://www.fatih.ac.th/ (Wichai Witaya) is recording to Loaded not a International School

Tridhos School http://www.tridhos.ac.th I still dont know about this one

/Claus Christensen

Tridhos was the precursor to Prem.

CMMCB

[Sathip2008]

These are not International schools but Thai schools with bilingual programme

Prince Royal's College http://www.prc.ac.th/

Montfort matayom http://www.montfort.ac.th/

Dara Academy arts school http://www.dara.ac.th/dara3/index.php

Regina Coeilli http://www.regina.ac.th/

Varee Chaingmai School (VCS)

Wichai Wittalayai

Except "WICHAI WITTALAYAI" and MONFORT (Only from Mathayom 4), I'm 100% sure that the aforementioned schools DO NOT have a bilingual program (EP). Some might have an ESP (English Special Program), which is not the same at all.

[Mapguy]

as a concerned parent, moving to CM next year from USA... i have to ask... what do folks MEAN by international school?

Does the word international have to be in the "name"

Is it accredited by YOUR country? and just which country is that?

If it is accredited, by what agency/government?

Wikipedia says: An International school is loosely defined as a school that does not require their students to learn the national or local language of the country the school is located in.

Well, that does not help me much if i want my daughter to be able to apply to Cal Berkeley or

Stanford without a hassle...

sorry if all this has been discussed before, but i have searched many threads and don't see such basic facts addressed.

I went to US State Department, where they list the "official" international schools and there is only one in CM...

so what are all these other international schools about?

zippy

I currently have two children at Nakorn Payap...... NIS is accredited by WASC, a US Based agency. I believe that most, if not all the International Schools are accredited. The differences between the schools seems to be the style of the curriculmn, such as American standard, British Standard etc.

I can't speak about the other schools, but at NIS classes are taught in English but the students are still required to study Thai.

I can't comment on the DoS list of official schools in Chiangmai, what is important to me is the following:

"In November 2002 the University of California passed a policy that requires all schools that want UC approval of courses to meet the a-g requirements to be accredited by WASC or at least be an initial WASC candidate. Those that currently have approval but are not accredited with WASC must comply by June 2006.

Accreditation is required with respect to the Cal Grants.

The WASC/CDE (California Department of Education) process serves as the basis for the Single Plan for Student Achievement.

Colleges and universities examine transcripts to determine if the students have attended accredited institutions.

Teachers will not receive credit for the years during which they taught at a non-accredited school by many schools/districts nationwide. WASC receive calls from school personnel who are recruiting applicants for teaching positions with respect to their prior schools of employment.

The military recruiters expect the applicants to be from accredited schools.

Many districts have policies to accept credits only from WASC accredited schools or schools accredited by other regionals with whom WASC has reciprocal agreements."

This is a useful response, as are others that differentiate by name the international schools from the bilingual schools.

Cal Berkeley or Stanford without a hassle?! That makes me chuckle!! Chiang Mai international schools have had some but quite limited success with placing kids in top-ranked schools, but what do you reasonably expect from small schools in a community of 150,000 in Northern Thailand?! Whatever, proper preparation begins at home.

The Thai Ministry of Education defines what an international school is. In common parlance, that is explained above. In any international school, the study of the Thai language and culture is secondary. There is only so much time in the school day, after all!

[cnxmike]

"Fatih is now known as Wichai Wittalayai"

Fatih is indeed a strange name for a school. It's the turkish word for conquerer. It is the title given to the Ottaman sultan Mehmed II, who conquered Constantinople in 1453.

I hope that this name doesn't represent the spirit of this school. Otherwise we have to expect a lot of new jihadis (holy warriors) fighting against the infidels.

[PeaceBlondie]

I hope that this name doesn't represent the spirit of this school. Otherwise we have to expect a lot of new jihadis (holy warriors) fighting against the infidels.

Not to worry. Wichai Wittayalai does not play football against Grace International School. Besides, most students at Wichai W., and the teachers, are not Muslims. The reverse cannot be said of Grace stidents and faculty. Don't worry.

As for American accrediting associations, this Texan reminds you that WASC is only a West Coast accreditor, as far as I know.

[Bill97]

Chiang Mai international schools have had some but quite limited success with placing kids in top-ranked schools......

Did you know that one third of last year's Prem graduating class was accepted to schools ranked in the top 200 Universities in the world?

[Mapguy]

Chiang Mai international schools have had some but quite limited success with placing kids in top-ranked schools......

Did you know that one third of last year's Prem graduating class was accepted to schools ranked in the top 200 Universities in the world?

Yes, that's what you told us before! And what schools were those, and on whose list, now that you bring it up again? How reflective of past results was that? What about the other two thirds? Did they all go to university? That would be the goal, I would think.

And how do the other schools, individually, or the group as a whole fare? I hope that they all do well, but, as I wrote, "...what do [can] you reasonably expect from small schools in a community of 150,000 in Northern Thailand?! Whatever, proper preparation begins at home."

[Diablo Bob]

I hope that this name doesn't represent the spirit of this school. Otherwise we have to expect a lot of new jihadis (holy warriors) fighting against the infidels.

Not to worry. Wichai Wittayalai does not play football against Grace International School. Besides, most students at Wichai W., and the teachers, are not Muslims. The reverse cannot be said of Grace stidents and faculty. Don't worry.

As for American accrediting associations, this Texan reminds you that WASC is only a West Coast accreditor, as far as I know.

Peace Blondie

WASC also accredits schools in China, Japan etc. There are a few other schools accredited by WASC in Chiangmai, CMIS is one of those. For some reason, PREM is accredited out of New England so I guess that there are no explicit territories when it comes to accreditation. I do know that the accreditation groups have bilatteral agreements between themselves where going to a WASC school is equivalent to a New England school.

[zippydedodah]

I currently have two children at Nakorn Payap...... NIS is accredited by WASC, a US Based agency. I believe that most, if not all the International Schools are accredited. The differences between the schools seems to be the style of the curriculmn, such as American standard, British Standard etc.

I can't speak about the other schools, but at NIS classes are taught in English but the students are still required to study Thai.

I can't comment on the DoS list of official schools in Chiangmai, what is important to me is the following:

"In November 2002 the University of California passed a policy that requires all schools that want UC approval of courses to meet the a-g requirements to be accredited by WASC or at least be an initial WASC candidate. Those that currently have approval but are not accredited with WASC must comply by June 2006.

Accreditation is required with respect to the Cal Grants.

The WASC/CDE (California Department of Education) process serves as the basis for the Single Plan for Student Achievement.

Colleges and universities examine transcripts to determine if the students have attended accredited institutions.

Teachers will not receive credit for the years during which they taught at a non-accredited school by many schools/districts nationwide. WASC receive calls from school personnel who are recruiting applicants for teaching positions with respect to their prior schools of employment.

The military recruiters expect the applicants to be from accredited schools.

Many districts have policies to accept credits only from WASC accredited schools or schools accredited by other regionals with whom WASC has reciprocal agreements."

I get the whole British/American difference... and truth be told, i brought up my 2 older daughters in London for 3 years (back in the 80s) and the education was excellent.

I went to WASC (thanks for that !) 2008-09 school listing catalog and the following schools are listed for CM

American Pacific International School

Chiang Mai Internation School

Grace International School

Lanna International School

Nakom Payap

SO... i really learned something here and expanded my potential schools list. I thank you very much for those leads.

zippy

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If you're based more or less permanently in Thailand (i.e. not an expat at Nikhom or Embassy employee and here for a couple years if that) then I don't think international schools make sense at all.

So what if you scrape all your money together to send them to Prem or Grace et al.. And then what when they get out of there.. They will find they can't even get into CMU or Chula in Thailand because nobody ever bothered to teach them the basics of what Thai schools teach (language and their version of Thai history.. Not saying that knowledge of their version of Thai history is worth two rusty satangs, but you need that to get into mainstream higher Thai universities.)

So then you're stuck. Your kid is 16 or 18 or whatever, and he/she has no option but to move abroad for even higher expenses because there's no path to CMU or Chula. Your kid may not even be able to read and write Thai! That to me is not a balanced education for families who have made the choice to make Thailand their home.

Edited November 20, 2008 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Bill97]

Chiang Mai international schools have had some but quite limited success with placing kids in top-ranked schools......

Did you know that one third of last year's Prem graduating class was accepted to schools ranked in the top 200 Universities in the world?

Yes, that's what you told us before! And what schools were those, and on whose list, now that you bring it up again? How reflective of past results was that? What about the other two thirds? Did they all go to university? That would be the goal, I would think.

And how do the other schools, individually, or the group as a whole fare? I hope that they all do well, but, as I wrote, "...what do [can] you reasonably expect from small schools in a community of 150,000 in Northern Thailand?! Whatever, proper preparation begins at home."

The schools were:

University College London 6

Australia National University 16

Edinburgh University 23

University of Bristol 32

University of British Columbia 34

University of Melbourne 38

Monash University 47

The ranking source is the "Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings" which came up at the top of a Google for the best universities in the world . The numbers above are the rankings from that source which I added and they are all in the top 50, so I think you will find them in the top 200 on any reasonable list. The university name information comes from a list published by Prem last spring identifying where each graduating senior was accepted.

The other two thirds on that Prem list were all accepted into Universities. With very few exceptions, if any, that has been true for the past 3 or 4 years.

What facts about the other schools individually or as a group can you give us to support your statement quoted at the top of this post?

[zippydedodah]

If you're based more or less permanently in Thailand (i.e. not an expat at Nikhom or Embassy employee and here for a couple years if that) then I don't think international schools make sense at all.

So what if you scrape all your money together to send them to Prem or Grace et al.. And then what when they get out of there.. They will find they can't even get into CMU or Chula in Thailand because nobody ever bothered to teach them the basics of what Thai schools teach (language and their version of Thai history.. Not saying that knowledge of their version of Thai history is worth two rusty satangs, but you need that to get into mainstream higher Thai universities.)

So then you're stuck. Your kid is 16 or 18 or whatever, and he/she has no option but to move abroad for even higher expenses because there's no path to CMU or Chula. Your kid may not even be able to read and write Thai! That to me is not a balanced education for families who have made the choice to make Thailand their home.

Yes, i see your point and have thought about that before. The truth is, i have no idea what my daughter will want to do after High Shcool. I have seen a few friends who live permanently in CM, kids went to AIS, and mid HS, they decided to go to USA for "the experience" or decided to apply to University in CAL. Their transitions were painless.

I will be 75 when my daughter graduates from HS and i want her to be able to go wherever she wants, even if i am stuck on an oxygen tank or some such nonsense!

... she will speak thai, her mom is thai and she already understands it completely. Her mom is getting her US citizenship shortly and will be able to accompany our kid anywhere in the world she chooses to study.

my sense of things is that for many asians, a GOOD education is a way out ... and a way up.... i imagine that after i have "moved on", the wife and kid might very well move to USA for education sake and for a way to immigrate the in-laws to USA.... yes.. there are people who still see the USA as the "land of opportunity".

ME... i just want to enjoy my time in the sun... feel very much like a cat, looking for the right place to settle down in the window and enjoy a nice nap.. . i just want to keep doors (Western doors) open for the kid. My wife feels the same.

zippy

[PeaceBlondie]

Considering it size, Chiang Mai has a very high number of accredited international schools.

At least in the past, accrediting bodies in the USA were regional, with Western being the west coast body, Central being central, etc. It makes sense for WASC to accredit Asian schools, but there are exceptions. AFAIK, within the USA, each regional authority certifies the unis in that region. My degree from a third-rate certified school is recognized throughout the country, with the realization that I did not finish at Harvard or Stanford.

[grtaylor]

Some schools have American accreditation by WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) or NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges), and European Accreditation by CIS (Council of International Schools).

Most are members of ISAT (International Schools Association of Thailand) http://www.isat.or.th where you can do a database search for schools in different areas of the country.

The word "International" in a school name can be misleading. I guess, technically, it means a school which does not teach the Thai National Curriculum, but another, such as the English National Curriculum, or American curriculum, or the curriculum of the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation). Having said that, many schools which claim this title have a very high percentage of Thai students.

Many of the international schools regularly have students getting places at prestigious colleges world-wide.

Schools which teach the Thai Curriculum in a mixture of English and Thai are generally referred to as "Bi-lingual".

Cheers,

Graham

[grtaylor]

So what if you scrape all your money together to send them to Prem or Grace et al.. And then what when they get out of there.. They will find they can't even get into CMU or Chula in Thailand because nobody ever bothered to teach them the basics of what Thai schools teach (language and their version of Thai history.. Not saying that knowledge of their version of Thai history is worth two rusty satangs, but you need that to get into mainstream higher Thai universities.)

Nonsense. Many non-Thai speaking students from my school in Bangkok have gone on to Chula or Thammasat or Mahidol all of which run international programs taught in English.

[Yorkshire Lass]

Chiang Mai international schools have had some but quite limited success with placing kids in top-ranked schools......

Did you know that one third of last year's Prem graduating class was accepted to schools ranked in the top 200 Universities in the world?

Yes, that's what you told us before! And what schools were those, and on whose list, now that you bring it up again? How reflective of past results was that? What about the other two thirds? Did they all go to university? That would be the goal, I would think.

And how do the other schools, individually, or the group as a whole fare? I hope that they all do well, but, as I wrote, "...what do [can] you reasonably expect from small schools in a community of 150,000 in Northern Thailand?! Whatever, proper preparation begins at home."

The schools were:

University College London 6

Australia National University 16

Edinburgh University 23

University of Bristol 32

University of British Columbia 34

University of Melbourne 38

Monash University 47

The ranking source is the "Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings" which came up at the top of a Google for the best universities in the world . The numbers above are the rankings from that source which I added and they are all in the top 50, so I think you will find them in the top 200 on any reasonable list. The university name information comes from a list published by Prem last spring identifying where each graduating senior was accepted.

The other two thirds on that Prem list were all accepted into Universities. With very few exceptions, if any, that has been true for the past 3 or 4 years.

What facts about the other schools individually or as a group can you give us to support your statement quoted at the top of this post?

I would also be interested in where Mapguy got this very bizarre fact from.... ???

[Mapguy]

Chiang Mai international schools have had some but quite limited success with placing kids in top-ranked schools......

Did you know that one third of last year's Prem graduating class was accepted to schools ranked in the top 200 Universities in the world?

Yes, that's what you told us before! And what schools were those, and on whose list, now that you bring it up again? How reflective of past results was that? What about the other two thirds? Did they all go to university? That would be the goal, I would think.

And how do the other schools, individually, or the group as a whole fare? I hope that they all do well, but, as I wrote, "...what do [can] you reasonably expect from small schools in a community of 150,000 in Northern Thailand?! Whatever, proper preparation begins at home."

The schools were:

University College London 6

Australia National University 16

Edinburgh University 23

University of Bristol 32

University of British Columbia 34

University of Melbourne 38

Monash University 47

The ranking source is the "Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings" which came up at the top of a Google for the best universities in the world . The numbers above are the rankings from that source which I added and they are all in the top 50, so I think you will find them in the top 200 on any reasonable list. The university name information comes from a list published by Prem last spring identifying where each graduating senior was accepted.

The other two thirds on that Prem list were all accepted into Universities. With very few exceptions, if any, that has been true for the past 3 or 4 years.

What facts about the other schools individually or as a group can you give us to support your statement quoted at the top of this post?

I would also be interested in where Mapguy got this very bizarre fact from.... ???

If you are a casual follower of posts, don't bother to continue. If you are interested in the education of your children in Chiang Mai or are related to schools, perhaps you might read on:

Bill97, thanks, fair enough, for the limited information. But why don't you just pdf the whole file and attach it? The school is clearly proud of it. It distributed it. And how about the lists from the previous five years?

Otherwise, I am not certain what "bizarre fact" is referred to by Yorkshire Lass. To restate what I have said: I have only my opinion that some Chiang Mai schools have been successful in placing graduates in university [really to imply reputable if not decent universities] some of the time. [We can argue later about what decent and reputable universities are, all lists included!] But I have also written that one shouldn't expect too much from schools in a provincial small city, so, my friends, lighten up on your expectations while still appreciating what schools are trying to do --- beyond making a profit. Perhaps Yorkshire Lass was referring inadvertently to Bill97, whom I generally wish to support but who seems to have a somewhat single minded affection for Prem while offering limited favorable information about its successes.

If you want to read considerably limited opinions about Chiang Mai international schools, you can subscribe to http://www.internationalschoolsreview.com. There are a few (some quite dated) opinions there about some CM international schools, but not all --- and the site, despite (to some degree) its best efforts, is a teacher "bitchandmoan" site. But I find some opinions to be fairly considered.

My own knowledge of the situation here comes from increased understanding over time of the nature of the Chiang Mai educational situation. Please help me and all of us here by adding to it! My particular experience comes from a few years' observation and reports here in Chiang Mai and a lot of conversations with various Thai and farang administrators, teachers, parents, and friends in Chiang Mai --- even students and graduates! --- who have had experience with Chiang Mai government, bilingual, and international schools. And I have been to more than a few schools myself, not just in Chiang Mai. But back to the point...

There are considerable differences among schools in Chiang Mai. And they aren't all academic in nature. Some have to do with religious belief, and I do not wish to go there; I am writing about scholastic affairs. Otherwise, I will only refer to those schools which appear to be of interest to those who read these threads. I don't mean to oversimplify things, but here goes.

You can disagree with my rough typology, if you wish, but it is reasonable after a couple of glasses of red wine, I believe, to suggest that in Chiang Mai, we are talking about three types of schools: (1) the "best" (and occasionally competitive to get into) government or quasi-government schools, such as Uparaj and Montfort; then, schools like Prince Royal's College. [Thai classification of schools can be complicated.] Then, (2) those schools that are commonly spoken of as bilingual schools (such as Varee). And (3) international schools, such as Prem, NIS, and CMIS. All of these schools have had their successes. After all, Taksin, of relatively modest origins, graduated from Montfort College! I must admit that I need someone to suggest a star graduate from a bilingual school [an historically recent curricular innovation, I think]! For the international schools, well, for one, talk to Bill97!

But it isn’t just the schools’ success. One of the consistent findings of academic success is a high correlation with income and parents’ educational level. It is the family which is by far the most important influence on a child's scholastic success, but....yes...schools can make some difference. And the factor of income isn't totally determinant, either. Take a look at the president-elect of the USA. He came from a modest but caring but not particularly well-educated family background, from a family that valued, encouraged and participated in the education of its children.

If you have children, I hope that you read up about what schools and education are about (educational methods, faculty compensation, class size, curriculum, and so on and so on), then devote more than a cursory visit to the schools you really chose to focus upon. Every family has its own experience, goals, and financial ability. But, please before you hit on schools, know what you want to talk about, ask meaningful questions, don't necessarily accept the first (possibly) glib answers, such as all our teachers are “qualified” for their positions. Well, what are their qualifications! Graduation rates? Well, what are they? University admission rates? What are they and to what schools?

[Bill97]

Mapguy,

Your stating that I seem to have a single minded affection for Prem is incorrect and a figment of your imagination. I have only provided information about Prem that they had what I think most will agree is very good success in getting their graduates into universities last year and quite reasonable successes in recent years. Certainly that is only one measure of a school and any reasonable reader would understand that.

If you or anyone else wants more facts about Prem I suggest that they contact the school, particularly Jon Hartman for information about university placement.

If you are really interested in facts, complete pdf files or five years of history go out and get some for us yourself instead of just blah blah blah your opinions and information that is common knowledge.

[Jonh]

So what if you scrape all your money together to send them to Prem or Grace et al.. And then what when they get out of there.. They will find they can't even get into CMU or Chula in Thailand because nobody ever bothered to teach them the basics of what Thai schools teach (language and their version of Thai history.. Not saying that knowledge of their version of Thai history is worth two rusty satangs, but you need that to get into mainstream higher Thai universities.)

Nonsense. Many non-Thai speaking students from my school in Bangkok have gone on to Chula or Thammasat or Mahidol all of which run international programs taught in English.

The graduation class of 2008 from Prem Tinsulanonda International school consisted of 45 students. 44 entered Universities world wide and 1 student entered Technical College in Australia. One got into University College London rated number 9 in the world and most of the class who went overseas got in to Universities in the top 50 in the world(Melbourne,UBC,Edinburgh, U Queensland,Monash,etc) . The Thai students and some foreigners got into Chulalongkorn,Thammassat,Mahidol and Silapakorn for Engineering,Architecture and Business Studies. All were hugely advantaged by being educated at Prem. The students going overseas got advanced credits and 10 scholarships while the Thai students "aced" the interviews in English.

[Diablo Bob]

So what if you scrape all your money together to send them to Prem or Grace et al.. And then what when they get out of there.. They will find they can't even get into CMU or Chula in Thailand because nobody ever bothered to teach them the basics of what Thai schools teach (language and their version of Thai history.. Not saying that knowledge of their version of Thai history is worth two rusty satangs, but you need that to get into mainstream higher Thai universities.)

Nonsense. Many non-Thai speaking students from my school in Bangkok have gone on to Chula or Thammasat or Mahidol all of which run international programs taught in English.

The graduation class of 2008 from Prem Tinsulanonda International school consisted of 45 students. 44 entered Universities world wide and 1 student entered Technical College in Australia. One got into University College London rated number 9 in the world and most of the class who went overseas got in to Universities in the top 50 in the world(Melbourne,UBC,Edinburgh, U Queensland,Monash,etc) . The Thai students and some foreigners got into Chulalongkorn,Thammassat,Mahidol and Silapakorn for Engineering,Architecture and Business Studies. All were hugely advantaged by being educated at Prem. The students going overseas got advanced credits and 10 scholarships while the Thai students "aced" the interviews in English.

Won't get involved on which International school is better, they are all pretty much the same, in my opinion.

Now 45 of 45 students entered into college, what percentage will actually graduate? Getting in is the easy part, actually graduating is something different!