Bangkok
Highgate School Opens Its First Overseas Campus in Thailand This August
One of the UK's most prestigious independent schools is launching a co-educational campus in Chonburi this month, marking Highgate's first expansion beyond London in its 461-year history.
Highgate International School Thailand, the first campus the north London independent school has ever opened abroad, will admit its founding cohort in August 2026. According to Highgate School, the campus has been developed in partnership with Thailand's Siam Motors Group and is located on a purpose-built site near Siam Country Club in Chonburi province, roughly 80 minutes south-east of Bangkok.
The school will open initially for pre-prep and junior students aged 2 to 11. A senior school and boarding provision are planned for August 2027, with the campus eventually designed to accommodate up to 1,400 day and boarding pupils aged 2 to 18. Students will follow the English National Curriculum, progressing to IGCSE and A Levels.
A known name in a crowded field
The Founding Head is Ben Keeling, who joins from Shrewsbury International School Hong Kong, where he served as Principal for eight years. The appointment gives Highgate Thailand a head with direct Asia experience at a school opening into one of the region's more competitive new markets. Several other new British-curriculum schools are also launching in Thailand this academic year, including Wycombe Abbey International School Bangkok and Dulwich College Bangkok.
Highgate School was founded in 1565 and is consistently ranked among the top 15 independent schools in the UK. The Thailand campus is the first school it has opened under its Highgate International brand, a programme the school has described as a considered international expansion rather than a broad licensing model. Facilities on the Chonburi site include an Olympic-sized pool, a FIFA-standard football pitch, a STEM building, and a 450-seat auditorium.