In 1978, Wat Thai of Washington, D.C., in conjunction with Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, set up a Sunday School in order to provide education for Thai children living in the United States to give them a chance to learn the Thai language, as well as many other aspects of Thai culture. For each of the past twenty years, four to five educators from Chula have volunteered to come to the U.S. to teach Thai children the basics of the Thai culture. In 1987, the Sunday School program at Wat Thai D.C. was expanded into a Summer School when it decided to test its curriculum by administering examinations to its students at the levels of second, fourth, and sixth grades. As a result, the students of the Sunday School were able to pass the examinations handily, with many scoring close to one hundred percent.

The Summer School program originated in Los Angeles, when Chulalongkorn University cooperated with the Wat Thai of Los Angeles to teach the Thai language, customs, and religious holidays and festivities to the Thai population in the U.S. Since then, the program has expanded to thirteen different wats in various cities nation-wide, including Chicago, Washington D.C., Houston, Dallas, Fremont, and New York.

In 1986, the Ministry of Education made it possible for Thai children to take an examination encompassing areas of Thai culture that would allow them to receive a certificate acknowledging their completion of Thai education at the primary level (through sixth grade). The program received further support from the Ministry that, beginning in 1993, made it possible for students to take an examination at an early level of secondary education (through ninth grade). The program has garnered interest from various Thai wats around the country and the number of wats that participate is increasing each year. The program has also recently expanded to Australia, where two educational centers have been set up, one in Sydney and the other in the capital, Canberra.

The objectives of the program are as follows:
1. To teach the Thai language and culture in order to instill and promote the sense of being a Thai to Thai children living in the U.S.
2. Enhance the sense of being a Thai with curricula that meet and are exemplary of the Thai educational standards.
3. Prepare examinations at the primary and early secondary levels so that students will be able to receive certificates administered by the Ministry of Education, which will signify their successful completion of their respective courses.
4. Coordinate with the wat and Thai citizens in the area on planning of celebrations and festivities to enhance the sense of community among the Thai population in the U.S.

The Summer School program seeks to instill in Thai children in the U.S. an understanding and pride of their Thai background, so that they will not the Thai language, its customs, or what it means to be a Thai. In addition to the Summer School, Wat Thai D.C. has continued to provide education through its Sunday School program, still with considerable attendance twenty years after it was established. Two years ago, Wat Thai expanded its offering of education and promotion of the Thai culture even further still by providing music lessons of Thai classical instruments to all Thai people, young and old, living in the metropolitan D.C. area. The younger music students are given a chance to perform on occasions of religious festivals or ceremonies. This program not only exposes children to the Thai culture, but gives them an opportunity to experience and take part in Thai customs as well.