The Value of an ISB Education
As the first international school to open in Thailand, the International School of Bangkok has delivered an exceptional education to our students since its inception in 1951. From small beginnings as a private school housed on the grounds of the U.S. Embassy, ISB has since transformed into Thailand’s premier international school with around 1,800 students within our expansive campus, serving expatriates and local families alike.
To this day, ISB remains a non-profit, independent, and non-sectarian school overseen by parents who are members of our school association and elected to our Board of Trustees. It is from this foundation of integrity that grants us the freedom to ensure every action we take is centered on improving the academic experience of our school community.
Not-for-Profit Status
To be truly independent to make decisions without restriction or limitations imposed by profit-oriented stakeholders, society, or pressure.
What does it mean to be a not-for-profit institution at ISB? In simple terms, it means freedom. Best exemplified by our Vision, Mission, and Values, our status as a not-for-profit school cascades down to every nook and corner of our campus and community.
ISB’s not-for-profit status allows us the academic freedom to help our students succeed, and the freedom to reinvest surpluses into the school's development. This results in providing the best facilities, teachers, faculty, and environment with everything our students need to thrive.
Our not-for-profit status means any surplus income generated from tuition, donations, or fundraising are reinvested back into improving the academic experience for our student body.
How we spend our money
As a non-profit, learning-focused school, all our decisions and expenditures are made to improve learning and provide the best experience for our students in all avenues. Our commitment to our community extends to full transparency in how we spend our money.
See the full report for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 here.
The Value of Values-based education
At ISB, we believe values-driven learning enhances the academic performance of our students, as well as impacting their overall development as the leaders of tomorrow. Woven into our education, our core values are a reflection of our Vision and Mission.
By incorporating values-driven learning into all our actions, we are enabled to prioritize essential lifelong skills such as global-mindedness, critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, and more. Our students learn to become socially intelligent alongside world-class academic development. Our belief in providing a value-driven education prepares our students for success in a rapidly changing world.
Our mission to nurture and inspire our students to achieve their academic and personal potential remains our reason for being, and our vision to enrich communities and the world at large through our students is proven in the success of our alumni over the years.
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ISB Learner Attributes
Adaptable
Can respond appropriately and with flexibililty to ambiguous or changing circumstances.
Value-driven
Guided by our ISB values, promoting good citizenship and personal meaning.
Globally-minded
Invested in the world and its diversity, with an awareness of how actions can impact local and global communities.
Self-managing
Can independently direct, monitor, and evaluate personal behaviors, goals and time.
Socially intelligent
Recognizes personal emotions and those of others, manages responses productively and collaborates effectively
Creative
Can develop innoative and imaginative ideas that have impact.
Future-proofing global citizenship
What do we mean when we say “global citizenship”? What does it mean to be a global citizen? According to Oxfam, a global citizen is someone who is aware of and understands the wider world – and their place in it. They are a citizen of the world. They take an active role in their community and work with others to make our planet more peaceful, sustainable and fairer. At ISB, this means ensuring not only the content of our curriculum is modern, up-to-date, and relevant for the unknown world our students will one day live in, but that our students have the skills to apply said knowledge and understand the impact their decisions and actions have on the world around them.
Recently, we went on a journey to explore and research some winning strategies to improve the value of education at ISB. Our journey began with studying the works of cutting-edge schools and engaging in conversations with industry giants like Tesla, Google, and Instagram. We also delved into data from prestigious organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Economic Forum.
Research driven learning
This comprehensive research helped us identify crucial attributes that students need to thrive in the ever-evolving global society they are stepping into. These attributes are Adaptability, Creativity, Social Intelligence, Self-Management, Global-Mindedness, and a Value-Driven mentality, all of which are reflected in our Core Values. Recognizing the importance of cultivating these skills, we have integrated them into the core of our curriculum to impact our learners' futures positively.
What truly sets ISB apart is our unwavering commitment to research-based learning and incorporating our findings into classroom teachings. Our pedagogy is designed to meet the diverse needs of our learners, ultimately equipping them with the knowledge and skills to become independent thinkers and achievers. We emphasize mathematical thinking, scientific exploration, artistic expression, and articulate language to convey the "big ideas" across all developmental levels.
Research-based learning has always been one of our most significant pillars since ISB was established.
