Lanna International School (LIST) is one of the oldest international schools in Chiang Mai, having been founded in 1993. The school’s modest setting near the Chiang Mai International Airport has served its numerous classes of alumni well, sending graduates to some of the finest universities in the world.
“The last two years have been quite extraordinary,” said Tim Creber, Marketing and Admissions at LIST. “Since 2013 we have been inundated with requests from parents who want to send their children here. We currently only have a capacity for 350 and our waiting list is getting longer by the day.”
Tim credits the changing demographics of not only Chiang Mai, but the region, for the rapidly increasing demands for enrolment. “There are so many families now, Thai, Asian and Western, who have moved to Chiang Mai. But it isn’t just that, we are finding that so many families working in the region want to send their children here. Perhaps one parent lives in Hong Kong, but they want their children and spouse to enjoy not only the quality of life, but also the cost of living in Chiang Mai. This year there are 80 new faces at LIST! The largest growth ever.”
LIST has recently decided that it needs a bigger home. They have settled for Koolapunt 9, also in Hang Dong, on a plot of land five times the current school size where a purpose-built school will be open in the next few years.
“Our new campus will have ample and well-equipped class rooms with no class room holding more than 25 students. Whereas now we have one classroom per year, we will be able to have two. Our new capacity will be double, at 700 students. We will also have a grass football pitch, swimming pool, amphitheatre for music and productions and many other facilities.”
Creber says that 75% of parents who come to enrol their children in LIST have been recommended by friends, a statistic that he is very proud of because the school, he says, is not just about routine and schedules, it is a place for the family and for total growth and development. “Our kids are happy and purposeful, we are not here to incubate in an academic hot house, but to offer the whole experience for education. This is why I am so excited about the new campus.”
The primary school will be moving into the new campus in August 2016 and one year later the entire school will be at its new home.
For more information about LIST’s new campus visit www.lannaist.ac.th/new-school.
