Our History
Marist Brothers Linmeyer was founded in 1966, with 258 boy students. Fifty-eight years later, our school consists of 321 boys and 329 girls aged from 4 to 12 years in the Pre-School and Primary School. In the High School we have 249 boys and 287 girls aged 13 to 18. That’s 1,186 students!
1817
St Marcellin Champagnat, a priest (Marist Father, SM) from France, founded the Marist Brothers.
1867
The first five Marist Brothers arrived in South Africa and established the first two Marist Brothers schools outside of Europe in Hatfield Street, Cape Town.
1889
Marist Brothers opened the first boys’ high school to be established in the mining town of Johannesburg, Koch Street.
1966
After a life of 76 years, Johannesburg’s oldest boys’ school closed its doors; but it was reopened in the following year, 1966, as Marian College, in the peri-urban area of Linmeyer to the south of the city.
Brother Christopher was the first principal and it was intended to be a Primary School, starting up with 258 boys that were transferred from Koch Street.
1981
When the St Roses Convent for Girls in La Rochelle closed its doors, the parents requested that the Marist Brothers accept their daughters into the school. That’s when the Brothers came to the decision of enrolling the first girls in 1981.
1983
The first group of multicultural students were enrolled at Marist Brothers Linmeyer. We became a school open to all races and creeds.
1984
We were the second school in South Africa to have the privilege to use the Toam Mobile Computer System for three weeks and we made full use of the Mathematics diagnostic programme to obtain an evaluation of each student in the Primary School.
1988
We launched a successful Saturday School for one hundred and fifty matriculants from the townships.
1989
Three Marist Schools celebrated 100 years of Marist in Johannesburg at the Standard Bank Arena.
1998
The Opening of our High School.
1999
The opening of our outdoor swimming pool.
2007
The opening of our school library, the Marian Resource Centre (MRC) and the Pre-School.
2014a
The celebration of 125 years of Marist Education in Johannesburg.
2014b
The Wall of Remembrance was built to create a memorial to the past students and staff of Marist Brothers Linmeyer, who have lost their lives.
2015
The Marcellin Block housing the heated indoor pool, the cactic gym and music centre was built.
2016
The Golden Jubilee celebrating 50 years of academic excellence.
2020a
COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, School Closure and Distance Learning Programme
2020b
Our Multi- Purpose Hall dream became a reality. This venue includes a gym in the basement under the stage, a new tuckshop venue for the High School, a gallery capable of seating 150 people and 2 additional sports offices.