Manchester school, group of English political economists of the 19th cent., so called because they met at Manchester. Their most outstanding leaders were Richard Cobden and John Bright. Their chief tenet was that the state should interfere as little as possible in economic matters (see laissez-faire), and they advocated free trade.

Manchester school may refer to:

• Manchester capitalism, a socio-economic and political movement of the 19th century
• The Manchester School (journal), an academic journal of economics
• Manchester school (anthropology), a school of thought in anthropology