St Peter's School, York

St Peter's School is a co-educational private boarding and day school (also referred to as a public school), in the English city of York, with extensive grounds on the banks of the River Ouse. Founded by St Paulinus of York in AD 627, it is considered to be the third-oldest school in the world, although some historians take a more skeptical view. It is part of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and York Boarding Schools Group.

The school accepts pupils aged two to eighteen.

Originally based at York Minster, the school was founded by St Paulinus of York in the year AD 627, but may not have existed continually since that time. An early headmaster, Alcuin (Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus), went on to be Chancellor to the Emperor Charlemagne, and founded several of the earliest schools in mainland Europe. It is considered to be the third oldest school in the world. The school existed near the present day site of the Minster until the seizure of St Mary's Abbey, York prompted its re-endowment and relocation to the Horsefair, outside of the city walls. During this period three conspirators in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, Guy Fawkes, John Wright, and Christopher Wright, attended the school.

During the English Civil War, the school in the Horsefair was destroyed by the Siege of York. As a result, the school site was moved to the Bedern within the city walls before moving again, in 1730, to St Andrewgate and in 1840 to the Minster Yard. It was only in 1844 that the present site was purchased and the school relocated for the final time.

For most of its history, the school was a boys' school, but welcomed girls into the sixth form from 1976 before becoming fully coeducational in 1987.

The school grounds are located near the centre of York and stretch to the banks of the River Ouse. The main front of the school faces along Bootham; this is the oldest part of the site, including the hall range designed by John Harper (1838), chapel (1861), and library (1894).

Boarding Houses Wentworth and Rise border the main campus, while Linton, Dronfield and The Manor are located across the road from the main school front accessible by footbridge. In the 2000s the school expanded its site under Headmaster Andrew Trotman to include the new lower campus, formerly the site of Queen Anne's, a state school that had been recently closed. The move was not without its challenges, including the distance between the old and new sites and the dissection of a public footpath. The addition of the lower campus brought the school's holdings to 50 acres.

St Peter's 2–8 (formerly Clifton Pre-preparatory School) is the pre-prep school to St Peter's School, York. St Peter's 2–8 is located on the Upper Campus of the school, next door to the senior school which runs along the main road of Bootham in the centre of York. The current head of St Peter's 2–8 is Antonia Clarke.