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Kornkaew (Dusit Campus)
- Trilingual: taught in Thai, English daily, Mandarin weekly
- Montessori in a Thai context, mostly outdoors in the garden
- The original campus, established 1984
- 2 terms (May | Nov)
A trilingual Montessori school in a Thai context.
Kornkaew Montessori School - Dusit, Bangkok
A trilingual Montessori school for children aged 1 to 6: lessons taught in Thai, with English daily and Mandarin weekly. Most learning happens outdoors in the garden. Established 1984, certified by the Ministry of Education, and a Montessori Demonstration School since 1999.
Ages 1-6years
MontessoriDemonstration School
TrilingualThai | English | Mandarin
Small groups1:3 average ratio
2 termsMay | Nov
Dusit, BangkokRama 5 Road
Why choose Kornkaew?
The trilingual garden
Lessons in Thai, with English daily and Mandarin weekly, learnt mostly outdoors.
Holistic care
Small groups at 1:3, a health check every morning and strict safeguarding.
The original campus
Founded in Dusit in 1984 by Dr Kamkeo Kraisoraphong. 40+ years of care.
Ministry-recognised
Certified by the Ministry of Education in 1984, assessed by ONESQA, and a Montessori Demonstration School since 1999.
Early-childhood specialists
Educators trained specifically to nurture children aged 1 to 6.
A loving community
A close community in Dusit, and two generations: many of today's parents were once Kornkaew pupils.
The trilingual garden
Three languages, learnt where children grow best: outdoors.
Trilingual programme
Lessons are taught in Thai, the language of the school day, with English every day and Mandarin once a week.
Open learning space
Most of the school day happens outdoors, in the garden: planting, tending, observing and harvesting.
The Montessori approach
Mixed-age environment
Younger children learn from older ones, and older children consolidate what they know by teaching it.
Personalised learning
Each child progresses at their own pace, guided through their critical periods by trained educators.
Hands-on, activity-based
Concrete before abstract, with specially prepared Montessori materials.
Learning starts with the hands. Worksheets follow, designed by our teachers for each activity and personalised to each child’s age and level. There are no tests: instead, the teaching team assesses every child regularly, so we know how each one is developing and which milestone comes next.
A day at Kornkaew
Every day has the same shape: the garden first, three lessons through the morning, lunch together, then Social Giving. The morning lessons change through the week, so every child meets every subject.
Morning
Arriving. Children arrive between 7:15 and 8:15, to a warm welcome and a health check at the gate. The gate closes at 8:15.
Gardening. Every morning from 8:30 begins in the garden: planting, watering and looking after the beds.
The rest of the morning holds three lessons, one of each every day: the Montessori work cycle, the Creative Play Space, and a core activity or, on Fridays, an enrichment activity.
Montessori work cycle
Each child chooses their own work and stays with it as long as it holds them, across the Montessori areas of learning: Practical Life, Sensorial and Academics.
Core activities
Thai on Monday, English on Tuesday, arithmetic on Wednesday and Mandarin on Thursday. English is not kept to its own lesson: it is used through the day in other lessons too.
Enrichment activities
Friday mornings, in turn:
- Health and wellness
- Music and movement
- STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
- Physical development
- Gardening
- Creative art
- Cooking
- Entrepreneurship
Creative Play Space
Play the children design themselves. They set up their own activity stations and invent the roles to go with them, and the science, maths, language and human skills arrive along the way.
Lunch
Everyone eats together at 12:00. Lunch is cooked fresh every day in our own kitchen, with fresh fruit to finish.
Afternoon
Social Giving. From 13:00 the children look after their school: mopping the floors, sweeping the road and the garden, wiping the tables, cleaning the day’s equipment, washing the gardening boots, the dishes and the aprons. Real work that everyone depends on, done together.
Home time
School ends at 14:30. Children who still nap in the afternoon may go home after lunch, at 13:00, and those staying on for extra-curricular activities carry on until 17:00.
Holistic care
Every child known, safe and well looked after.
- Small groups. A 1:3 teacher-to-child ratio on average, with 1:1 support when a child needs it.
- A health check every morning. Temperatures are checked at the gate, and a child who becomes unwell is cared for apart while we call home.
- Toilet training at each child’s pace. Children do not need to be toilet-trained to join, and many of our youngest still wear nappies. We agree a plan with each family, and trained staff change and clean children gently, with care for their privacy.
- Help at mealtimes. Children who cannot yet feed themselves are fed by their teachers, and encouraged a little more each day to manage on their own.
- A closed campus. During school hours the campus is closed to anyone outside the school community. That is why campus visits happen only after classes: no visitor ever walks through a classroom while children are in it.
- Privacy and safeguarding. Strict child-protection policies, CCTV in designated areas with footage kept confidential, and children’s information and photographs handled with care.
- Clean and well kept. Classrooms, facilities and equipment are cleaned and maintained every day, so children can explore freely and safely.
- A hospital partnership. Kornkaew families receive discounted rates at ViMUT Hospital.
Life at Kornkaew
The latest moments from school, shared with our families every week.
Two campuses, one family
Both campuses share the same Montessori foundations, the same family and over forty years of the same care. Each leads with a different strength.
KIMS (Ari Campus)
- English-medium and international
- Montessori X with EYFS: the farm, the KIMS Market and future-ready skills
- Built on over forty years of Kornkaew heritage
- 3 terms (Sep | Jan | May)
Enrolment and fees
Applications are welcome up to a year ahead. See the steps, the fees and what to prepare.
See the enrolment processQuestions parents ask
What age range do you accept?
We welcome children aged 1 to 6. They do not need to be toilet-trained or speaking fluently to join: our teachers work with each family on both. The one practical requirement is that a child can walk independently.
At what age should my child apply?
Most families apply about a year before they would like their child to start. Children take in different skills at different ages, and starting earlier gives teachers more of those stages to work with, but the best time is the one that feels right for your family.
Can I schedule a school visit?
Yes. Private visits are held by appointment on weekday afternoons at 16:00, after classes, so we can give you our full attention while protecting our children's privacy. You will see a presentation about the school, then walk the classrooms and the garden. To book, message us on LINE: @kornkaew.
What language are lessons taught in?
Thai is the language of instruction. English is used every day, in its own lesson and through other lessons too, and children have Mandarin once a week.
How will I know how my child is doing?
Every day, and then in depth each term. You can speak to your child's teachers at drop-off and pick-up, so anything on your mind is dealt with the same day. Photographs of the day go into a private group for parents, so you can see how the day actually went and keep those years. At the end of every term there is a parent-teacher meeting, where the teaching team takes you through a personalised report: what your child has done, the milestones they have reached and what comes next.
Where do children go after Kornkaew?
Children are with us until six. Most go on to Thai or bilingual primary schools in Bangkok, and some to international schools.
Is there a half-day option?
There is no half-day programme, but children who still nap in the afternoon may go home after lunch, at 13:00. School ends at 14:30, and children can stay on for extra-curricular activities until 17:00.
What do children eat at school?
Every meal is cooked fresh in our own kitchen each day, from wholesome, minimally processed ingredients, and the menu rotates over four weeks. Instead of sweet snacks and desserts we serve fresh fruit. Please tell us about any allergies or dietary needs and we will plan around them.
How do you help a new child settle in?
Every new child joins the Transition Programme: four weeks in the holidays before their first term, with parents taking part too. Children get to know their teachers, their classmates and the shape of the day, and families get to know the school. The full process is on the enrolment page.
Visit us
Kornkaew (Dusit Campus)
77 Ranong 2, Rama 5 Rd., Dusit, Bangkok 10300
LINE @kornkaew
Tours run outside school hours, so you see the classrooms and the grounds without disturbing the children.
Book a private tour
