Virtual School in Thailand: After Mathayom 3, From Isaan to the Deep South

By Brendaliz Chelangat, Head of Academics · October 2026 · 9 min read

In Thailand, compulsory education for Thai nationals ends after Mathayom 3, the ninth year of school. The three years that follow, Mathayom 4 to 6, lead to TCAS and the Thai universities, and that route is strong. But they are also the years when an international qualification either gets built or does not. For a student in Bangkok, the options are many. For a student in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima or Hat Yai, the English-medium options at upper secondary are few, and A-Levels or AP may simply not be on offer. This guide is about those three years, the decision at fifteen, and the regions where a virtual school is the realistic way to reach an international record.

The decision after Mathayom 3

At the end of Mathayom 3 a student chooses an upper-secondary track, often science and mathematics or languages, and the Thai route then runs toward O-NET and TCAS. Because upper secondary sits outside compulsory education, a family has more room to choose from around fifteen. There are three sensible options. Stay in the Thai route, which leads well into Chulalongkorn, Mahidol, Khon Kaen University and the rest. Move to a full-time international route, with Cambridge A-Levels, Pearson Edexcel International A Levels or the American curriculum with AP. Or run both for a year while the family decides. Families planning full-time study outside a Thai school should confirm their arrangement with the Ministry of Education or their local education office first, and we help them set out the plan clearly.

Isaan, and the regional universities

Thailand’s northeast is its largest region by population, with Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima and Ubon Ratchathani as its centres. Khon Kaen University and its medical school draw academic families, and the region has hospitals, government offices and a growing number of families returning from work abroad. What it has less of is upper-secondary teaching in English for international examinations. A student here who wants A-Level Biology and Chemistry toward medicine abroad, or AP courses toward a US application, often has no school nearby that teaches them. A live class supplies the teacher, in a small group, with the same teacher across the two years. The student stays at home, keeps their friends and family, and can keep a Thai school place alongside if that is the plan.

The south and the smaller provinces

Hat Yai and Songkhla have Prince of Songkla University, trade links to Malaysia and families who look south as well as to Bangkok. Surat Thani and the Gulf islands have tourism, and Samui has some international schooling. Further from the coast, many provinces have good Thai schools and no international option at all. In these places the question is rarely whether the local school is good. It is whether a particular subject, taught in English toward an international examination, exists within reach. Often it does not, and that is a simple matter of how many specialist teachers live in a given town. A live class drawn from several countries solves that arithmetic without anyone moving to Bangkok.

Running the two years well

We plan upper secondary around the target. Three A-Levels chosen for the course are better than four chosen out of ambition. For US plans, a focused set of AP courses with SAT preparation where it is needed is often cleaner. Thailand is four hours ahead of Nairobi all year, so our Nairobi morning teaching lands in the Thai afternoon, and later classes run into the early evening, which suits students still attending a Thai school. Every lesson is recorded. Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel examinations are sat at authorised exam centres, mostly in Bangkok and the larger international schools, so regional students usually travel for the sitting. Families book the centre, and it is confirmed per family, per session.

Where the record leads

The international programmes at Mahidol University International College, Chulalongkorn and Thammasat read A-Levels, IB results and AP, with requirements set per programme and worth checking early. UK universities read A-Levels through UCAS, and US universities read AP and the American diploma through the Common Application. Canadian universities can be reached through the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, earned online through our Ontario partner school. Australian, Singaporean, Japanese and Malaysian universities assess these qualifications routinely. A student in Udon Thani or Hat Yai who builds the record over Mathayom 4 to 6 applies on the same terms as one in Bangkok. The record is the same; only the postcode differs, and universities do not read the postcode.

After Mathayom 3, Thailand leaves the family room to choose. For students in Isaan, the south and the smaller provinces, a full-time international route has usually meant moving to Bangkok. A live class lets them build the same record from home, with the Thai route still open if they want it. Book an assessment for your child, or start with our Thailand hub and the Khon Kaen page.

Frequently asked questions

Is upper secondary compulsory in Thailand?

Compulsory education for Thai nationals runs to the end of Mathayom 3, grade nine. Families planning full-time international study after that should still confirm their position with the Ministry of Education.

Can a student stay in the Thai route and take A-Levels too?

Yes, for a year or so, with two or three subjects running alongside Mathayom 4. It is demanding, so we keep the subject list short and tied to the target.

Where would a student in Khon Kaen sit the examinations?

Usually in Bangkok, at an authorised exam centre the family books. The centre is confirmed per family, per session.

What time are classes in Thailand?

Thailand is four hours ahead of Nairobi with no daylight saving. Morning classes in Nairobi fall in the Thai afternoon, later ones in the early evening, and all are recorded.

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