Life on Koh Samui
For families with children, the question of school usually comes up very quickly. Sometimes even before the question of where to live.
And understandably so. You may fall in love with a particular part of Koh Samui, but if the daily school run means crossing a large part of the island twice a day, after a few weeks you may start looking at that location very differently.
The good news is that Koh Samui offers more educational choice today than many people expect from a tropical island of this size. There are international schools, smaller schools, different curricula and different fee levels.
That does not mean every school will be right for every child. This is why education is one of the factors worth considering early when planning a move.
Families moving to the island can choose between several different educational models.
Koh Samui has international schools offering, among others, British-based education and the Cambridge Curriculum. There are also smaller schools with a more intimate environment, as well as schools offering education in different language settings.
The age range also varies. Some schools take children from Early Years through several stages of education, while others cover only part of the school journey.
This becomes particularly important when moving for several years. A school that is suitable for a five-year-old may not necessarily provide a path for that child to continue their education on the island as a teenager.
There is a considerable range.
For the 2026/27 academic year, annual tuition can range from around THB 200,000 at more affordable international schools to over THB 600,000 at higher-priced schools, depending on the school and the child’s age.
Tuition may not be the only expense. Depending on the school, families may also need to budget for registration fees, school transport, uniforms, examinations, extracurricular activities or additional language support. What is included in the tuition fee also differs from one school to another.
For this reason, when planning the cost of family life in Koh Samui, education is best treated as a separate and significant part of the budget.
We look more broadly at everyday expenses on the island in our article “Cost of Living in Koh Samui: It All Depends on How You Want to Live.”
Choosing a school is not simply about its reputation or tuition fees.
Moving with a preschool-age child is very different from moving with a primary school student, and different again from relocating with a teenager who is already progressing through a particular education system.
For older children, the ability to continue within a chosen curriculum and later transition to a school or university in another country may also become important.
This is why the question “What is the best school in Koh Samui?” does not have one correct answer.
What matters more is which school suits the individual child, their age, previous education, language skills and the family’s plans for the years ahead.
This is a natural question for many families moving to Thailand.
The approach depends on the school, the child’s age and their level of English. Some schools offer additional support for students whose first language is not English.
It is worth discussing this directly with the school before beginning the admissions process rather than assuming that every school takes the same approach.
Distances on a map of Koh Samui do not look particularly large. It is an island, after all.
In everyday life, however, the number of kilometres matters less than how long the journey actually takes at a particular time of day.
If a child needs to be driven to school every morning and collected every afternoon, the location of your home quickly stops being only about the view, the beach or your favourite part of the island.
Families with children therefore often look at location differently from an investor buying a rental villa, a remote worker or someone who spends only a few weeks a year in Koh Samui.
This is where education begins to connect directly with property choice.
Schools are among the first subjects families ask us about when considering moving to Koh Samui with children.
We do not point to one “best school”, because the choice is highly individual. A young child may need a different environment from a teenager, while language, curriculum, budget and the family’s longer-term plans all matter.
From a property perspective, however, the order of decisions is important.
If school will be part of the family’s everyday life, it makes sense to establish which educational options are genuinely being considered before narrowing down the areas in which to look for a home.
An extra 20 minutes in the car may not matter much on holiday. Repeated twice a day for several years, it matters considerably more.
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