Highgate International School Thailand opens in Chonburi

The part of the school that is open now

Highgate International School Thailand began its first academic year on 19 August 2026 near Siam Country Club in Chonburi province. It is Highgate School's first international campus outside the UK.

The first phase consists of Pre-Prep and Junior School. The school describes the current provision as covering children from around age 2 through Year 6, broadly up to age 11. By the end of August it had completed its first full school week, and Highgate School in London confirmed the Thailand opening in a separate update on 16 September.

The Senior School is not open yet. Its first intake is planned for August 2027, initially covering Years 7 to 9. Families with older children therefore need to distinguish between the campus being open and the full age range being available today.

Why the opening matters for families on the Eastern Seaboard

For families considering a long-term move to Chonburi, Pattaya or the wider Eastern Seaboard, the opening adds another operating British international school to the local education map. That is most immediately relevant to parents of younger children, because this is no longer a proposed campus or an admissions campaign ahead of construction: pupils are already attending classes.

The opening does not, however, establish that the new campus already matches the long-term academic record of Highgate School in London. The Thailand school does not yet have its own history of graduating cohorts, examination results or a functioning Senior School. For a family choosing where to live, the useful questions remain practical: whether the child's year group is open, what the admissions process requires and whether the daily journey works from the intended home location.

The next stage is still ahead

Highgate Thailand is being introduced in phases. The Senior School is scheduled for August 2027, with additional senior year groups to follow later as the school develops. That timetable matters to parents whose children will move into secondary education soon after a relocation.

The new campus therefore expands the range of schooling available in Chonburi, but it does not remove the need to compare it with established international schools in the area. For most families, age coverage, curriculum fit and daily logistics will matter more than the name on the gate alone.