An all-boys boarding grammar school, it sent most of its pupils to Gonville College, Cambridge.

From 1700 until 1984, Paston School had four houses, Tenison (Red), Wharton (Blue), Hoste (White) and Nelson (Yellow).

The two sites include buildings dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, set in extensive lawns in the centre of the town.

A-Level courses include; Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Drama and Theatre Studies, English Language, English Literature, Environmental Science, Film Studies, French, Further Mathematics, Geography, Graphic Communication, History, Law, Maths, Media Studies, Philosophy and Religion, Photography, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Sociology and Textiles.

[1764-67: school closed for rebuilding] Since 1606, the college's coat of arms has been that of the Paston Family, containing a griffin crest and six fleur-de-lys.