In the late 1800s and early 1900s, three French sisters, Mlles Marthe, Louise, and Jeanne Maret, left their home in the village of Marignan (Sciez) in France close by Geneva, Switzerland to teach. Louise taught in Russia, Jeanne in the Philippines, and Marthe (who became blind at age 18), in Washington, D.C.

By 1911, Louise and Jeanne had joined Marthe in Washington, where they were inspired to bring an international flavor to education. They founded the Maret French School, later named Maret School. In 1923, the sisters moved the school to 2118 Kalorama Road with an enrollment of 62 culturally diverse students.