Maranatha Baptist Academy began in 1981 as a ministry of Maranatha Baptist Church, with the primary goal of ministering to military families stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood. The first year’s faculty consisted of Pastor Gene Partin and three volunteer staff members who taught a total of seventeen students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. The church and academy were both located at 212 Marshall Drive in St. Robert, Missouri. Over the next several years, changes were made to the existing buildings to accommodate student growth, and classes were added, including a four-year-old preschool program as well as high school classes. In 1991, the tenth anniversary of MBA, Keith Carnahan became the senior pastor of MBC, and the school year ended with an enrollment of 88 students. The first high school graduation took place the following year, with a total of four graduates. The 2002 school year began with an enrollment of 110 students and a new location just a few blocks away from the original site. MBA’s new facility, located on seventeen acres at 200 Acorn Drive, gave the church and school much needed room for expansion. In 2008 the school again needed additional space to accommodate student growth, and a gymnasium and eight new classrooms were added, allowing enrollment to increase to 188. MBA added a three-year-old preschool program in 2014.