Marcy Open School was established in September 1971. Open Education is a progressive educational philosophy. The Open school program at Marcy was instituted as part of the Southeast Alternatives (SEA), a five-year federally funded project. Other SEA programs included Tuttle Contemporary School, Pratt and Motley Continuous Progress Schools, the Southeast Free School, and Marshall University Junior and Senior High School. All of these alternative school programs were located in SE Minneapolis, around the University of Minnesota. SEA provided the model upon which Minneapolis' system of alternative schools, magnet schools and parent choice was eventually built.
In the fall of 1992 Marcy moved to the current building and location, expanding from a K-6 to a K-8 grade and nearly doubling in size. Marcy has distinguished itself as a model for the open school approach to education in the Minneapolis School District.