Sarasas Ektra Bilingual School

Origins

The story of Sarasas Ektra School begins not in 1995 but two years earlier, in 1993 (BE 2536), when Sarasas Pittaya School introduced a special bilingual English-language class in its Yan Nawa campus. Native English-speaking teachers were brought in to deliver academic subjects alongside their Thai counterparts — a bold departure from conventional Thai private schooling of that era.

Demand grew quickly. Parents who had either lived abroad or wanted their children to develop genuine English fluency enrolled in large numbers. The classes expanded across three buildings, covering a footprint of three rai within the Yan Nawa subdistrict.

Official Founding (1995)

In 1995 (BE 2538), founder and director Mr Pisuth Yongkamon successfully petitioned the Thai Ministry of Education to licence the programme as an independent school. 'Sarasas Ektra School' (โรงเรียนสารสาสน์เอกตรา) was thus established as Thailand's first fully licensed Thai–English bilingual private school — a distinction the school still claims today. The initial licence covered pre-Nursery through Mathayom 6 (Grade 12), making it a true through-school from the outset.

Expansion and the GAC Programme

Through the late 1990s and 2000s, Sarasas Ektra expanded steadily, growing to approximately 2,900 students. A landmark moment came when the school signed a partnership with ACT Education Solutions Ltd, introducing the Global Assessment Certificate (GAC) — an internationally recognised university-preparation programme accepted by more than 100 partner universities worldwide. This gave senior students at Sarasas Ektra a credible route into overseas higher education, aligning the school's bilingual mission with tangible international outcomes.

A Living Pioneer

Three decades on, Sarasas Ektra continues to occupy its original Bangkok site in the Yan Nawa district, operating as a day school for students aged 3 to 18. Its pioneering status in Thai bilingual education is regularly cited in educational media, and its music ensembles — particularly the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, which won gold at the Yamaha International Wind Band Competition in 2026 — have brought the school fresh recognition beyond its academic reputation.

Core Belief: Every Child Is Uniquely Intelligent

At the heart of Sarasas Ektra's educational model is the conviction that no two learners are alike. Guided by Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI), the school designs instruction to honour linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist strengths. Rather than ranking students on a single academic scale, teachers observe, nurture, and challenge the particular intelligence profile of each child.

Bilingual as a Vehicle, Not an End

Language at Sarasas Ektra is treated as a vehicle for genuine learning rather than a subject in itself. Approximately half of all instruction is delivered in English by native-speaking teachers; the other half follows the Thai national curriculum in Thai. This 50:50 balance means that students do not merely study English — they think in English across mathematics, science, arts, and physical education from their earliest years. The school's motto, คุณธรรมนำวิชา ภูมิปัญญาพาพัฒนา ('Character guides learning; wisdom leads development'), frames this bilingual academic drive within a broader moral and cultural purpose.

Thai Values Within a Global Outlook

Sarasas Ektra explicitly preserves Thai democratic values, creativity, and disciplined civic conduct alongside its international outlook. Students are expected to uphold national pride and cultural identity even as they develop the English fluency and academic skills needed to study abroad. The school's use of IT, English-language communication tools, and the GAC university-preparation programme all serve the goal of making graduates genuinely competitive in global higher education.

Student-Centred Pedagogy in Practice

Classrooms at Sarasas Ektra are organised around student agency. Project-based learning, collaborative tasks, and performance-based assessment sit alongside direct instruction. Arts, music, and sports are not marginalised co-curricular afterthoughts: they are treated as essential intelligences deserving the same investment as mathematics or science. The school's internationally award-winning Symphonic Wind Ensemble and regularly performing Drama Club are visible expressions of this commitment.

Summary

Sarasas Ektra's philosophy can be distilled into three intersecting commitments: developing the whole child through Multiple Intelligences, instilling bilingual confidence through daily immersion, and grounding everything in Thai moral values. This triangulation has sustained the school as Thailand's premier bilingual institution for three decades.

Academic Framework

Sarasas Ektra operates on the Thai Ministry of Education national curriculum, covering all mandated subjects from Nursery through Mathayom 6 (Grade 12). What distinguishes the school is the delivery mode: every subject is taught in a bilingual Thai–English format, with roughly half the weekly timetable conducted in English by native-speaking teachers and half in Thai by qualified Thai educators.

Subjects and Electives

Core Thai Ministry subjects — Thai Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Health and Physical Education, Arts, and Computer Science — form the compulsory backbone. Students may also choose from a range of elective languages including Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, reflecting the school's position within Bangkok's internationally diverse community. Music, Visual Arts, and drama modules complement the academic timetable.

The Global Assessment Certificate (GAC)

For students targeting overseas universities, Sarasas Ektra offers the Global Assessment Certificate in partnership with ACT Education Solutions Ltd. The GAC is a rigorous, internationally benchmarked qualification accepted by more than 100 Pathway Universities worldwide, spanning institutions in the United Kingdom, Australia, North America, and Asia. This programme develops academic English, critical thinking, and discipline-specific skills in a way that Thai university entrance examinations alone do not address.

Assessment and Outcomes

Day-to-day assessment follows Thai Ministry standards, including continuous assessment, mid-term and final examinations, and project portfolios. No public data is available on university placement rates or standardised examination results, which is typical for Thai private bilingual schools that do not sit IB, IGCSE, or A-Level examinations.

Admissions

The school accepts new students from Nursery (age 3) through Mathayom 4 (approximately Year 10). There is no publicly listed entrance examination; applicants are assessed through school visit, interview in both Thai and English, and submission of prior academic records. Annual fees ranged from approximately THB 67,000 to THB 151,200 as of 2023, positioning the school as accessible relative to international schools in Bangkok.

Music as a Pillar of Education

At Sarasas Ektra, the performing arts occupy a status equal to academic subjects. This is a deliberate consequence of the school's Multiple Intelligences philosophy: musical intelligence is nurtured with the same seriousness as linguistic or mathematical ability. The result is a co-curricular programme in music and drama that is among the most competitive in Bangkok's bilingual school sector.

The Symphonic Wind Ensemble

The flagship performing group is the Ektra Symphonic Wind Ensemble, a concert band that has represented Thailand at international music festivals. In March–May 2026, the ensemble won the Gold Prize at the Yamaha International Wind Band Competition — a prestigious event drawing school bands from across Asia. This victory continued a tradition of national and international recognition that stretches back more than a decade.

Jazz and Strings Ensembles

The school's Jazz Ensemble made headlines in 2012 when it won the Royal Trophy at the Princess's Jazz Competition for the fourth consecutive year — a remarkable streak that demonstrates the depth of musical training. A Strings Chamber Ensemble performs alongside the wind band, giving students training in orchestral and chamber music traditions.

Drama Club

The Ektra Drama Club performs charity productions, with documented fundraising events raising in excess of 200,000 THB for hospital foundations. Drama performances are staged in the school's auditorium and at external venues, offering students experience in staging, scriptwriting, and performance in both Thai and English.

Why It Matters

For families choosing a bilingual school in Bangkok, Sarasas Ektra's arts programme offers something genuinely rare: competition-grade musical training embedded within a full academic curriculum, at fees considerably below those of international schools. The school's co-curricular identity in music and drama is one of its most distinctive and consistently marketed characteristics.

Student Community

Sarasas Ektra enrols approximately 2,900 students across its single Bangkok campus in the Yan Nawa district. The school is co-educational, admitting boys and girls from Nursery (age 3) through Mathayom 6 (age 17–18). Unlike Bangkok's fully international schools, Sarasas Ektra primarily serves Thai local families who want the competitive advantage of English fluency without relinquishing the Thai national curriculum qualification.

The Bilingual Family Profile

The typical Sarasas Ektra family is Thai, often with one parent who has lived or studied abroad, or who works in a multinational corporate environment where English is essential. A smaller proportion of students are children of expatriates or returnee families (those who have spent time overseas and wish to maintain strong English upon returning to Thailand). The school's fees — THB 67,000 to THB 151,200 per year — place it well within reach of Bangkok's professional middle class, far below the THB 400,000–900,000 range of the city's fully international schools.

Location and Daily Life

The campus occupies a substantial urban site in Yan Nawa, reachable by BTS Skytrain (Bang Chak station) or private vehicle. The school operates as a day school with no boarding provision. A student canteen and cafeteria serve the community during school hours. A school bus network provides pick-up routes across Bangkok.

Community Engagement

The school's Drama Club has a documented tradition of charity performances that have raised significant sums for hospital foundations, reflecting a culture of service embedded in the school's Catholic-influenced ethos. Music performances, sports days, and academic fairs provide regular occasions for the parent community to engage with school life.

Uniform and Identity

Students wear mandatory uniform bearing the school's Latin motto Age quod agis ('Do what you do' — do it well), which encapsulates the school's expectation of diligence and purposeful effort. This disciplined identity sits alongside a creative, arts-rich co-curricular culture.