The school was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946 and is now affiliated with the Carmel College Foundation.

Between 1959 and 1969, it was a minor seminary for the Diocese of Groningen, with students boarding and attending St. Martin's College in Haren.

[citation needed] In the autumn of 1984, St. Maartenscollege International School was founded as a separate department of St. Maartenscollege, to provide education for international students living in the north of the Netherlands, with English as the language of instruction.

[citation needed] Maartenscollege even made the news in November 2007 when its students went on several wildcat strikes protesting the 1040 hours norm.

Although the College would like to formalize the ideals of the strike, it advocates consultation between the school, the pupils, and the parents.