Any dive into the history of Marymount Barranquilla requires an examination of what the presence of Sister Johanna has meant for this institution. In 1969 she arrived to Barranquilla as School Director and during four decades, she modeled excellence, honesty, respect, loyalty and spirituality, educating leaders committed to values and service. When she realized that the main campus was not big enough, she purchased the property in Sabanilla, which she prophetically started calling "The Promised Land". Thanks to her vision and leadership, Marymount Barranquilla is the school it is today.

In 1980, the Exxon Corporation in Colombia decided to relocate its administrative offices from Bogotá to Barranquilla. The company conducted a research study in order to determine which schools in Barranquilla were appropriate for the children of the Exxon executives. As a result of this research, Marymount was chosen and the school began admitting male students. In 1983, the Preschool and Elementary sections were recognized as coed by the Colombian authorities. In 1985 and 1987, when the first boys were promoted to High School, the upper grades started to get approved as well. In 1992, the whole school was recognized as a coed institution. (Res. 15996/83; Res. 04802/87; Res. 705/92).

In 2007, the School began the process to pursue international accreditation through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), with the purpose of guaranteeing the quality of the institution for future generations. In 2009, an additional accreditation from the Council of International Schools (CIS) was sought, which granted accreditation to institutions in Europe and the Americas. On May 13th, 2010, Marymount Barranquilla received approval for accreditation through NEASC, and on April 27th, 2011, the dream of a dual accreditation with CIS became a reality.

The year 2018 became a historic moment for the Marymount Community. "The Promised Land" became a reality with the opening of new facilities. Equipped with wide collaborative spaces and cutting-edge technology to support learning and respond to the formative demands of educational work, the new buildings facilitate our institutional goals to educate entrepreneurial leaders with values and principles which will guide their actions in a globalized society.