For over a century, Suankularb's alumni have played important social, political, governmental, military, and academic roles in Thailand. During its early days, English expatriates served as the board of directors, and made it possible for notable school leavers, such as MR Kukrit Pramoj, to continue their studies abroad at institutions such as Oxford University. Early alumni formed a major group of Thai scholars sent to study abroad yearly under the King's Scholarships, and later Thai government scholarships. Upon their return, they worked mostly in government agencies and academic institutions and helped in modernizing the country.