Native Language @ ISB

Community Resources

Classes

ISB offers Native Language classes during the school day in Thai in all divisions (ES/MS/HS), and in French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish in the secondary divisions (MS/HS). To learn more, please see Elementary School Parent/Student Handbook (Special Subject Areas > World Language), the Middle School Program of Studies (pages 68-75), and the High School Course Selection Guide (pages 22-31).

ISB also offers Native Language classes after school in our Panther Native Language Academy. Here are the languages currently offered after school. 

  • Dutch
  • French
  • German
  • Hebrew
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Mandarin
  • Spanish
  • Thai (PreK 2)

Above: Scenes from Panther Native Language Academy in Season 4, 2022-23.

More about the Panther Native Language Academy

Our after-school native language classes best suit students who are (a) unable to take a native language class during school, or (b) students who need extra support as determined by the teacher of the native language class in school.

A native/near native language is generally described as a language that is used on a daily basis with at least one parent. This is fundamental to ensure that the language can be supported outside of the classroom. We believe that native language learning happens best when students experience a strong home-school partnership.

In the Panther Native Language Academy, our goal is to offer meaningful learning activities in reading, writing, speaking, and listening that reflect ISB’s vision, mission, attributes and values. We aim to keep students moving forward in their native language learning and connected with their peers.

For all students in Kindergarten and up whose families pay for one Panther Native Language Academy class session per week (500 THB/one-hour session, due when the term begins), ISB funds a second session per week if there is adequate demand. PreK 2 classes meet once per week only. External language programs hosted at ISB may require different considerations. 

To inquire about native language support for your children, in any of the languages above or a language not listed, please email us: 

PantherNativeLanguageAcademy@isb.ac.th