This four-programme IB day and boarding school is one of the best international schools in Chiang Mai, and offers a well-rounded education in and out of the classroom.

There are several reasons why Prem Tinsulanonda International School (Prem) is regarded as one of the leading international schools in Chiang Mai. This all-through day and boarding school has an outstanding location, excellent facilities, a broad extra-curricular programme, and a seamless IB learning journey.

Founded in 2001, Prem offers the popular IB education from Kindergarten through to Grade 12. As well as following the International Baccalaureate Primary Years, Middle Years, and Diploma programmes, Prem is the only international school in Thailand to offer the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP). The IBCP (formerly known as IBCC) is a vocational alternative to the very academic IBDP; it focuses on Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, Information Technology, and Art and Design, and is designed for students who want to pursue these subjects at university, college, or as a career.

Prem’s curriculum is taught by native English speakers. It’s an education that has huge international appeal – the school has nearly 500 students coming from over 30 countries. There’s a large boarding community here, with 35% of students living on campus on a weekly or termly basis.

One mother of a Prem Grade 11 boarding student says:

“My daughter has been a full boarder at Prem for the past two years and we have to admit, this has been the best decision we made as a family. Her after school hours are productively spent with carefully planned out activities, something which wouldn’t have been possible in Bangkok where she had been commuting daily in traffic. The volunteering at Prem’s farm, visiting old people’s home during weekends, occasional trips to temples to care for stray dogs, visiting Hope House orphanage are some of the enriching experiences which will remain with her for years to come. My daughter has matured and grown into a confident young girl and all credits go to the uncompromised care provided by Prem’s boarding staff.”

It’s hard not be impressed when you walk through the gates of Prem, which is part of the 100-acre Traidhos Three-Generation Community for Learning. This puts students at the centre of a community that boasts specialist sporting academies for tennis, golf, cricket, and football, a chemical-free farm and a cooking school, visiting school programmes, camps, an environmental education barge programme, and arts programmes.

Within the school campus, you’ll also find the art and music studios, an auditorium, black box drama studio, science labs, numerous sports fields, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool complex. The school takes full advantage of these excellent facilities by offering an impressive programme of free co-curricular daily activities that cover sport, service learning, and creative arts; highlights include golf and tennis coaching sessions.

Beyond the classroom, the school also runs the Prem Panthers sports programme, which includes badminton, basketball, cricket, cross country, football, futsall, golf, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and volleyball; teams compete in the Chiang Mai Athletics Conference (CMAC). In terms of technology, the school has a 1:1 laptop programme from Grade 6; the school is also heavily invested in leadership and pastoral care, and it has a very active house system, a strong student council, and a popular Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

As of the end of 2017, the school also officially joined a network of innovative schools in 50 countries in the  Round Square organisation that share a passion for experiential learning built around six IDEALS of learning: Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, and Service.

A full review will be posted shortly.

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