International schools and hospitals on Koh Samui: a guide for families

Koh Samui has international schools and private hospitals within reach of Bophut. The choice is small, though, and a complex medical case can mean a transfer to Bangkok. Below we list six schools and three hospitals, each with a link to its own website where we found one. We add the developer’s distances from The Astra Samui and the insurance questions to settle before you move with a family.

We checked the pages below on 24 October 2026. Two school sites did not load properly, and we say which ones further down. Where a school or hospital describes itself, we say what its website says and we rank nobody. Guides and directories disagree on how many schools and hospitals the island has and which area each belongs to, so this page relies on the institutions’ own sites and on the developer’s list. Programmes, fees and opening hours change, so confirm them with each school or hospital. This is general information, not medical or insurance advice.

At a glance

• Hospitals: the developer lists three hospitals near the project: Wattanapat Hospital Samui, Thai Inter Hospital and Bangkok Hospital Samui. The closest, Wattanapat Hospital Samui, is 1.8 km from The Astra Samui, according to the developer.
• Schools: the International School of Samui is the closer of the two schools the developer lists, 3.3 km away, according to the developer. We found five other schools with websites of their own, which makes six here.
• Curricula: the six teach British, Cambridge, bilingual Thai and English, or French programmes. If you need another curriculum, such as the IB, ask each school: we did not find it on the pages we read.
• Emergencies: the national number for a medical emergency is 1669, run by the National Institute for Emergency Medicine.
• Insurance: Thailand is not among the places where the UK GHIC can be used, according to the NHS. Ask insurers about private cover and evacuation.

Hospitals on Koh Samui

The developer lists three hospitals near The Astra Samui. The table shows what each says about itself.

Wattanapat Hospital Samui also says it provides medical care for 24 hours. Bangkok Hospital Samui’s trauma and emergency page lists 24-hour emergency care for accident patients. Its referral centre serves patients from abroad: staff help recommend specialist doctors, schedule appointments, explain the treatment process and estimate costs.

Ask any hospital three things before you need it:

• which accreditations it holds and until when;
• whether its emergency room is staffed around the clock and what it treats on site;
• what its price list says for a consultation, a scan and a night in a ward.

Guides place Thai Inter Hospital in different areas. For distances we use the developer’s list, and for addresses the hospital’s own website. This guide covers the three hospitals the developer lists. It does not review the island’s other hospitals or any public hospital.

In a medical emergency, call 1669, the emergency illness hotline of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM). Save the emergency number of a nearby hospital too, taken from the hospital’s own site.

When you need Bangkok

Not every case can be treated on the island. Bangkok Hospital Samui lists 24-hour evacuation of critically ill patients on its trauma page. Its boat ambulance serves nearby islands. The BDMS group describes an emergency medical service that offers 24-hour care on site and bed-to-bed transfer by land, sea and air, and its list of hospitals includes Bangkok Hospital Samui. These are the hospital’s and the group’s own descriptions, so ask what applies to your case.

For planned specialist treatment, flying is the other route. Bangkok Airways says on its own blog (7 November 2025) that it flies from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Samui Airport. The airport is 7.3 km from The Astra Samui, according to the developer. Routes and times change by season, so check the airline’s timetable before you plan a trip.

Ask the hospital:

• which conditions it treats on site and which it refers elsewhere;
• who arranges an ambulance or air transfer to Bangkok, and who pays for it;
• whether the doctors who treated you can send your records to the next hospital.

Then ask your insurer whether evacuation and repatriation are covered.

International schools and curricula

The table lists six schools in no order of quality, with what each says on its own website. The developer gives distances for two of them (see the distances section below). The International Schools Association of Thailand keeps a member directory if you want to check which schools belong to it.

Two of these websites did not load properly when we checked on 24 October 2026: Panyadee’s did not respond and Lamai’s showed an expired security certificate. We describe both briefly from the text of their pages in search results, so check them before you rely on them.

The curricula in plain words

• British National Curriculum: the English school curriculum for ages 5 to 16, taught by year group from Year 1 to Year 11, according to GOV.UK. Reception and the early years come before it. Sixth Form, Years 12 and 13, comes after.
• Cambridge: a pathway of stages. Primary and Lower Secondary lead to the IGCSE stage, called Upper Secondary, and then to Advanced, with AS and A Levels. Cambridge International puts IGCSE from age 14 and Advanced from age 16, and Windfield lists Advanced for ages 16 to 19.
• Edexcel and BTEC: Pearson Edexcel is another exam board. BTEC Level 3 is what the International School of Samui calls a vocational alternative to AS and A Levels. Its FAQ mentions only Cambridge A Levels, so ask which exam board each subject uses.
• AEFE: the French network of schools abroad. Windfield says it is a member.
• Thai National Curriculum: the state curriculum. Oonrak teaches it in a bilingual format. Its pages give different shares of English teaching, so ask.

At the International School of Samui

It is the school the developer lists nearest the project, so here is what its website says in more detail:

• The Sixth Form page says the school is a registered exam centre for Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel. It lists AS and A Levels and BTEC Level 3 in Sport and in Travel and Tourism. Online subjects come through a partnership with Kings InterHigh.
• Pupils joining in Years 3 to 11 normally sit two online tests, an English test and a cognitive ability test. Its FAQ lists English as an additional language among its subjects.
• The year has three terms, from mid-August to the end of June. Fees are paid in three termly instalments. A joining fee, which the FAQ calls non-refundable, and a security bond, refundable once a term’s written notice has been given, also apply. Read the FAQ for who pays what and the current amounts.

Ask every school about places in the year group your child will join, language support if English is not yet strong, entry tests, costs beyond tuition, term dates and the school run from Bophut.

Nurseries and pre-schools

Several schools take children before primary age. The International School of Samui says it accepts children from age 3. Greenacre’s pathway starts at Early Years, age 3. Windfield’s French section starts with the maternelle for ages 2 to 6. Oonrak lists Daycare and Pre-K, then Kindergarten 1 to 3. Lamai starts at Foundation.

Stand-alone nurseries and kindergartens also exist, and we have not reviewed them. If you visit one, ask:

• opening hours and holiday closures;
• the language the day runs in;
• how many staff care for each age group;
• whether staff have first-aid training;
• how parents are told when a child is ill;
• whether there is a waiting list.

Distances from Bophut

The developer gives these distances from The Astra Samui. It does not say whether they are in a straight line or by road, so drive the routes at school-run time before you decide.

The developer gives no distance for Oonrak, Greenacre, Windfield or Panyadee. Measure from the apartment you are considering with a map app, at the time of day you would drive.

The Astra Samui is in Bophut on Koh Samui. Completion is planned for Q4 2028, according to the developer. That is a target, not a fixed date, so check school places and programmes again closer to it.

Health insurance basics

Insurance is one of the first things to settle if you move with a family. Two of the points below come from the sources we list, and the rest are questions for your insurer.

• State health cards. The NHS lists the places where the UK GHIC can be used, and its page does not mention Thailand. It says the card does not cover private treatment or being flown home, and that it is not a replacement for travel insurance. If you live elsewhere, check the rules of your own health authority.
• Direct billing. Bangkok Hospital Phuket, a hospital of the same group as Bangkok Hospital Samui, advises you to check with your insurer whether it has a direct billing agreement with the hospital. It warns that such agreements can be suspended or cancelled over time. Ask the same of any hospital here.
• Price lists. Ask each hospital for a price list for a consultation, a scan and a night in a ward, so you can judge how much cover you need.

Questions for your insurer:

• Does it pay the hospital directly, or do you pay first and claim later?
• What are the limits per year and per illness, for outpatient and inpatient care?
• Are pre-existing conditions covered?
• Are evacuation and repatriation covered, and who decides when they are needed?
• Are maternity and children covered, and for how long a stay does the policy apply?

We do not recommend insurers or policies.

The Astra Samui and family life

The Astra Samui is a low-rise, resort-style condominium in Bophut. If you plan to move with children, look at the larger layouts first, such as the 2-bedroom apartments, and read our guides to living in Bophut and the cost of living on Koh Samui. To compare areas of the island, see where to live on Koh Samui.

Varsovia Estate is the sales agent for The Astra Samui, and our office is in Maenam on Koh Samui. On a visit we can show you the area and the routes to schools and hospitals. The Bophut location page has the developer’s full list of distances. You can also book a call with our team. Prices start from THB 3,687,000 (about €98,000, NBP average rate of 23 October 2026).