Concordian International School

Trilingual IB Vision

Concordian International School occupies a distinctive niche in Bangkok's international school landscape: it is one of very few schools in Southeast Asia to deliver a complete IB continuum — PYP, MYP, and Diploma Programme — through three languages simultaneously: English (primary), Mandarin Chinese, and Thai.

This trilingual approach is not merely an add-on language programme. It is embedded at the instructional level, meaning students encounter academic content in all three languages from as early as Pre-Kindergarten. By the time students reach the IB Diploma in Grades 11–12, they have spent over a decade developing multilingual cognitive flexibility that is increasingly valued by top universities worldwide.

IB Continuum

Concordian was first authorised by the IB Organisation in 2004 (PYP and MYP) and added the Diploma Programme in 2008. This means the school has over 15 years of DP delivery experience, providing continuity and institutional expertise across the full academic journey from age 2 through 18.

The DP subject menu is broad, including languages, sciences, humanities, business, arts, and technology — all offered at Standard Level, with select subjects (English A, Visual Arts) at Higher Level, giving students meaningful subject-choice flexibility.

Moral & Intercultural Emphasis

Beyond academic rigour, Concordian emphasises moral responsibility and intercultural competency. The school's stated goal is to produce graduates who can contribute positively to society as internationally minded citizens — a vision that informs both the curriculum design and extracurricular offerings, which include community service clubs, Model United Nations, and social outreach programmes such as Food For All and Saturday School Global.

What This Means for Families

For families — particularly those with a Chinese-language background, or Thai families who value both local cultural literacy and international academic preparation — Concordian offers a rare combination. Students graduate fluent in three languages with an IB Diploma recognised by universities globally, having studied in a campus environment that bridges Eastern and Western educational cultures.

Campus & Facilities Overview

Concordian International School's campus in the Bangna district of Bangkok — situated conveniently near Suvarnabhumi International Airport — is purpose-built for a large, comprehensive day school. The scale and quality of facilities is notable even by international school standards in Bangkok.

Sports Infrastructure

Athletics clearly plays a central role in school life. The campus contains:

• Three air-conditioned indoor arenas with rubberised floors, accommodating 3 basketball courts, 5 badminton courts, 4 futsal/indoor football pitches, and 4 volleyball courts simultaneously
• A 50-metre, 6-lane swimming pool (roofed) plus a 25-metre 6-lane pool and a dedicated toddler pool
• Outdoor facilities including 2 basketball courts, 2 tennis courts, and 3 natural grass football pitches
• Track & field capability and specialist sports science support

This level of infrastructure supports a genuinely competitive athletics programme — including swimming, football, basketball, badminton, volleyball, track & field, table tennis, and even ice hockey.

Performing Arts

The arts are equally prominent. The Grand Theatre seats 560 and contains a grand piano, suitable for large-scale concerts, drama productions, and school events. An outdoor amphitheatre seats 200, providing a second performance venue for more intimate or outdoor events. Dedicated music practice rooms (4 piano rooms, 4 violin rooms), drama studios, and visual arts facilities round out the creative arts provision.

Academic Facilities

For academic enrichment, the campus offers:

• Three computer labs (Windows and Mac)
• Four large science laboratories
• A home economics kitchen with 8 cooking stations
• A two-storey library housing over 50,000 books and media resources

Safety & Wellbeing

High-level security is maintained 24 hours a day, supported by over 300 CCTV cameras. A full-time health centre staffed by 4 nurses operates on campus. The organic canteen and Toscana Café provide healthy dining options for students and parents alike.

Overall, the campus atmosphere is active, well-resourced, and contemporary — a space designed to support both academic excellence and a full co-curricular life.

Student Community Profile

Concordian International School presents an interesting demographic profile that sets it apart from Bangkok's more traditionally expat-focused international schools.

Thai-International Balance

Approximately 80% of students are Thai nationals, while the remaining 20% come from international backgrounds. With a school population of around 1,100 students, this translates to roughly 220 international students from an estimated 20 different countries.

This balance creates a community that is genuinely rooted in Thai culture while being genuinely international in outlook. For Thai families, Concordian offers the opportunity for their children to receive a world-class IB education without losing connection to their language and cultural identity — especially meaningful given Thai is one of the school's three instructional languages. For expatriate families, the predominantly Thai student body means their children form deep friendships with local peers, developing cultural intelligence that goes beyond a typical expat-bubble experience.

Class Size & Teacher Ratios

With an average class size of approximately 21 students and a student-to-teacher ratio of 8:1, Concordian offers a relatively intimate learning environment. The 8:1 ratio is notably low for a school of its size, suggesting significant specialist and support staffing alongside classroom teachers — consistent with the demands of trilingual IB delivery across all three programmes.

Community & Service Culture

The community culture at Concordian extends beyond the classroom. High school clubs include Food For All (food security advocacy), Saturday School Global (community education outreach), and Telemedics (healthcare volunteering). The school's Model United Nations programme has its own dedicated website, indicating a serious commitment to global citizenship education.

This combination of a majority-Thai student body, trilingual instruction, IB values, and active community service creates a school identity that is both distinctively Thai and genuinely internationally minded.

Academic Culture & IB Diploma Programme

Concordian's academic programme is built entirely on the International Baccalaureate framework, with no parallel IGCSE, A-Level, or AP tracks. This means that by Grade 6, all students are on the IB MYP pathway, and by Grade 11, all are enrolled in the full IB Diploma Programme.

Subject Breadth

The DP subject offering is impressively broad for a school of around 1,100 students:

Languages: English A (Language & Literature — HL/SL), English B (SL), Chinese B / Mandarin ab initio (SL)

Individuals & Societies: Economics, Psychology, Geography, History, Business Management (all SL)

Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Systems & Societies (all SL)

Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches (SL), Applications & Interpretation (SL)

Arts: Visual Arts (HL), Music (SL), Theatre (SL)

Technology: Computer Science (SL), Design Technology (SL)

This gives students genuine choice across groups, with the arts notably offered at Higher Level for Visual Arts, reflecting the school's strong arts culture.

Trilingual Continuity

A key feature of the academic culture is the continuation of trilingual instruction. Students who have spent their PYP and MYP years developing Chinese and Thai language skills can maintain these through the DP language offerings, ensuring the trilingual investment is not abandoned at the most academically intensive stage.

Inquiry-Based Foundations

From PYP through MYP, students are immersed in IB's inquiry-based learning model. This means that by the time students reach the DP, they are experienced self-directed learners — an important advantage for managing the Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge, and CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) requirements that distinguish IB graduates.

Accreditation

The school's academic credibility is reinforced by dual accreditation from both CIS (Council of International Schools) and NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges), providing assurance of quality standards recognised by universities in the US, UK, and beyond.

Admissions Process & Culture

Concordian International School employs a structured, multi-stage admissions process that reflects the school's trilingual and IB academic standards.

Application Process

Admissions typically involves:

1. Document submission — previous school reports, student records
2. Assessment testing — English and Chinese language assessments for most grade levels; younger applicants (Pre-K to Grade 2) may have a lighter assessment focused on basic comprehension
3. Oral/written English test — students applying to Grades 3 and above face a written English reading and writing component
4. Interview — student and/or parent interview

Language Requirements

English proficiency is central to admissions, given the school's English-medium IB instruction. For younger students, basic ability to follow instructions in English is expected. For older applicants (Grades 3–12), demonstrable reading and writing skills in English are required. Given the trilingual model, Mandarin Chinese proficiency is also assessed — a distinctive feature not found at most other international schools in Bangkok.

Admission Fee

An admission fee of approximately THB 260,000 is charged upon enrolment confirmation. This is a significant one-time payment and should be factored into total first-year cost calculations alongside annual tuition fees.

Waitlisting

Concordian operates a waitlist system: if accepted families do not complete payment and enrolment procedures by the stated deadline, their place reverts to waitlist status. This suggests meaningful demand for places, particularly at popular entry grades.

Academic Year

The school year runs from August to early June in a two-semester structure — Semester 1 (August–December) and Semester 2 (January–June). Families transitioning from northern-hemisphere or Japanese school-year systems should note this August start when planning entry timing.