The story begins in 1902, when the Colonial and Continental Society of London laid the foundations of what would become St. Peter’s. In those earliest years the school operated as the boys’ section associated with Kimmins School, Panchgani. Then, in 1904, the present main building was completed on its hillside site — and the institution took the name it has carried ever since.
Founded principally for European and Anglo-Indian children, the school admitted boys of different faiths from the start — an early hint of the openness that defines it today. Decade by decade, St. Peter’s widened its doors. The school that once served a narrow community now welcomes students from across regions, religions and nationalities, and educates girls and boys side by side.
The Bason years: 1947–1974
Ask any old Peterite about the school’s modern shape and one name recurs: O. D. Bason, Principal from 1947 to 1974. His twenty-seven-year tenure — beginning in the very year of Indian Independence — saw dormitories rise, a school kitchen and health facilities built, and the academic programme strengthened. The school marked its Golden Jubilee under his stewardship in 1954, and his service is commemorated today in Bason Hall.
A living heritage
History at St. Peter’s is not kept behind glass. Students eat in halls their predecessors ate in, compete for houses named after the school’s builders and benefactors, and add their own chapter to a record now stretching past 120 years. When your child joins, they inherit that story — and the quiet confidence that comes from belonging to something older and larger than themselves.