Cities / Chiang Mai / Grace International School
Grace International School
Built for the children of Christian missionaries and humanitarian workers across Asia, and very good at that job. Grace is unusual in the sector: faith driven, mission priced, and explicit about it.
In brief
Built for the children of Christian missionaries and humanitarian workers across Asia, and very good at that job. Grace is unusual in the sector: faith-driven, mission-priced, and explicit about it.
Founded in 1999 on a 37-acre campus in Hang Dong. American curriculum from Kindergarten through Grade 12 with AP options, taught from a biblical worldview. WASC and ACSI accredited. Around 500 students from families serving with 85-plus member organisations across 40-plus countries. Roughly nine in ten parents are or have been missionaries or humanitarians working in Asia.
Teachers raise their own support to keep tuition low, and families with international Christian worker status can apply to the Financial Assistance Programme. The model is what makes Grace special: parents repeatedly say the school is the reason they have been able to stay in their field rather than relocate. The fit is narrow. Families outside that mission context, or families wanting a secular environment, will feel the culture pull strongly.
Fees
Annual fees
| Year level | Age | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten - Grade 5 | 5 | THB 309,000 |
| Grades 6-8 | 11 | THB 338,000 |
| Grades 9-11 | 14 | THB 365,000 |
| Grade 12 | 17 | THB 379,000 |
Reviews
A Christian K-12 school built around the children of international missionary families serving across Asia, with an American college-prep curriculum on a 37-acre campus in Hang Dong, south of the city. Tuition runs in the 334,500 to 401,000 baht range depending on grade, and the school is jointly accredited by ACSI and WASC. The community is tight, the academics are well-regarded by families inside the missionary orbit, and the religious frame is unambiguous. Families outside that orbit describe a more closed feel, and the staffing model, in which non-Thai teachers raise their own support rather than draw a salary, sits behind a lot of the conversation around the school.
Positives
- Academics and special needs support. Parents inside the community describe strong academic results and flexibility with children who need extra learning support. The homeschool-extension programme is also spoken of warmly by families who use it.
- Community and pastoral feel for missionary families. Families serving with one of the 85-plus partner sending organisations describe a warm, welcoming community where their kids quickly find friends. The more a family leans into the mission identity, the more connected they tend to feel.
- Air quality response in burning season. Classrooms run air purifiers, AQI is monitored, and recess moves indoors when the index climbs. The approach matches what most international schools in Chiang Mai do in February and March.
Considerations
- Christian-only admissions feel. The school's mission is education for the children of Christian workers, and that shapes who gets in and how the day runs. Some non-missionary Christian families describe being welcomed in recent years. Others say they were not allowed to tour because they were not missionaries, and that the culture leans missionary-bubble.
- Religious intensity. Families looking for Christian values without the full mission framing tend to find the religious posture stronger here than at the other Christian-leaning options in town. Parents who want a softer faith register often point their kids toward CMIS instead.
- Teacher staffing model. Non-Thai teachers are unpaid by the school and raise their own financial support through a sending organisation; Thai staff are salaried. The model keeps tuition lower for missionary families but draws questions from prospective parents about turnover and how the fees are deployed.
- Hang Dong location and Graceland Residences. The campus and the affiliated Graceland Family Residences sit out in Hang Dong, away from the centre. The houses themselves get good marks for quality and price. The surrounding development is still being built out, amenities are thin, and some families have moved on after a year.
Leadership
Steve Anderson
Stephen Anderson has served as the Superintendent of Grace International School since 2018, providing visionary leadership and oversight to fulfill the school’s mission. He works closely with the school's Thai Director to ensure legal and operational compliance with Thailand’s Ministry of Education standards. Steve earned his Bachelor of Education from Samford University and his Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from Covenant College. He oversaw the school's relocation to its current 44-acre purpose-built facility and successfully navigated complex legal challenges, securing the school's future.
Accreditations
- Association of Christian Schools International 01
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges (Accrediting Commission for Schools) 02
- TH_ONESQA 03
Academic results
- AP courses offered 9
- Average PSAT 10 score Above national average
- Average AP exam scores Above national average