Cities / Chiang Mai / Christliche Deutsche Schule Chiang Mai
Christliche Deutsche Schule Chiang Mai
The German-speaking option in Chiang Mai. CDSC delivers a German curriculum through to the Deutsches Internationales Abitur, with Christian values explicit in the school's identity.
In brief
The German-speaking option in Chiang Mai. CDSC delivers a German curriculum through to the Deutsches Internationales Abitur, with Christian values explicit in the school's identity.
Founded in 1994 and located in Tha Wang Tan, Saraphi, in a rural setting surrounded by rice fields. Around 230 to 270 students, mostly from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with a smaller group from non-German-speaking families supported through tailored DaF and DaZ programmes. One class per grade. The DIA pathway works to KMK standards, with English-delivered physics from Grade 10 and English components in the Abitur itself.
Families describe a friendly atmosphere and a tight community. Fees sit at the lower end of Chiang Mai's international schools, which keeps the school accessible to mission and NGO families alongside corporate expats. Parents looking for a large peer group, broad subject choice, or an English-medium pathway should look elsewhere. Parents who want their children to come out fluent in German with a recognised German qualification will find few alternatives in northern Thailand.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten (7:50-13:00) | 3 | THB 146,000 |
| Kindergarten (7:50-15:30) | 3 | THB 168,000 |
| Flexible Eingangsstufe - Klasse 4 | 6 | THB 251,000 |
| Klassen 5-6 (Regular) | 10 | THB 261,000 |
| Klassen 5-6 (DaF) | 10 | THB 348,000 |
| Klassen 7-8 (Regular) | 12 | THB 282,000 |
| Klassen 7-8 (DaF) | 12 | THB 371,000 |
| Klassen 9-10 | 14 | THB 305,000 |
| Klassen 10-12 (Regular) | 15 | THB 328,000 |
| Klassen 10-12 (Französisch Intensiv) | 15 | THB 452,000 |
One-time fees
| Item | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Vorschulbereich Aufnahme | 3 | THB 20,000 |
| Vorschulbereich Kaution | 3 | THB 50,000 |
| Schulbereich Aufnahme | 5 | THB 50,000 |
| Schulbereich Kaution | 5 | THB 50,000 |
Reviews
A small German Auslandsschule sitting in rice fields south of Chiang Mai in Saraphi, single-stream through Hauptschule, Realschule and Gymnasium, ending in the German International Abitur. Around 230 pupils, mostly from German, Austrian and Swiss families, with a Christian ethos that runs through daily life rather than sitting in a chapel block. Personnel and funding from the German federal government, and the 2022 Bund-Länder inspection renewed the Exzellente Deutsche Auslandsschule mark. Classes average about fourteen, the campus is calm and rural, and the school is one of the few routes in northern Thailand to a German university entrance qualification.
Positives
- Curriculum and qualifications. All-through German curriculum to the DIA Abitur, with Hauptschule and Realschule exits also offered. One class per grade keeps cohorts small and the academic pathway visible from kindergarten onward.
- Official recognition. Personnel and funding support from the German federal government as a recognised Auslandsschule, and the Exzellente Deutsche Auslandsschule seal renewed after the 2022 Bund-Länder inspection.
- Atmosphere and community. Families describe a warm, family-feeling community on a green rural campus, with teachers who know every child by name. The Christian framing shows up in pastoral tone and weekly rhythms rather than in heavy doctrine.
- Language support for non-native speakers. Children without a German background get nine German lessons a week for three years to bring them up to grade-level instruction. Useful for mixed German-Thai families and for returners from English-medium settings.
Considerations
- Scale and cohort size. Around 230 pupils across the whole school, one class per year group. A close community for some, a thin peer pool for others, particularly in the upper Gymnasium years where subject options narrow.
- Religious framing. Christian values are written into the school's identity and biblical studies sit in the curriculum. A natural fit for German missionary and Christian expat families, less so for households wanting a fully secular German education.
- Location. The Saraphi campus is roughly thirty minutes south of central Chiang Mai and surrounded by rice fields. Quiet and green for the school day, but a daily drive for families based in the old city or Nimman.
Leadership
Jörg Häger
Accreditations
- Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen 01
Location
83/1 Ban Bua Krok Nua T. Tha. Wang Tarn, อำเภอ สารภี เชียงใหม่ 50140, Thailand