Marymount, Los Angeles was founded at the request of the Most Reverend John Cantwell, the first Archbishop of Los Angeles. Directed by Mother Joseph Butler, the founder and visionary of Marymount Schools in the United States, five pioneering sisters of the RSHM opened the doors of Marymount, Los Angeles to twelve students on September 23, 1923. The original campus was on 28th Street, adjacent to the University of Southern California. As enrollment grew, the site proved inadequate and eight years later, Marymount moved to its present location on Sunset Boulevard, across the street from the University of California, Los Angeles.
The new six-and-a-half acre campus had much to commend it: beautiful yet functional Spanish Mission style buildings with ample space for athletic and recreational facilities all set in lovely surroundings. Throughout the years, several new buildings were added, all in keeping with the original architecture of the school. In 1982, Marymount was declared a California heritage cultural monument because of its outstanding architecture in the Spanish Colonial Revival mode and its history as a cultural center for learning.
With sister schools in New York, Europe and South America, Marymount gratefully acknowledges the Religious who had the vision and strength to establish an international network of schools committed to service and to women’s education.
Throughout its history, Marymount has remained dedicated to the goal of providing an education that fosters the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional and social maturity of the whole person. Each student is encouraged to find her own voice and to challenge herself through academics and co-curricular programs coupled with a deep commitment to serving others.