While Mariner was intended to open for the 1970–71 school year, the school was not ready to open at the beginning of the school year, forcing Olympic View to temporarily host high school classes. When Mariner finally opened on January 10, 1971, Olympic View was its only feeder school; however, it was not long before Mariner started receiving students from Explorer Junior High School as well upon the latter's opening in 1973. This setup remained until the 1993 opening of Kamiak, at which point the district switched from junior high to middle schools, with the district adding two of the latter in the process. This meant the addition of ninth-graders to the student body of Mariner for the 1993–94 school year onward, with the school gaining then-new, adjacent Voyager Middle School as a feeder; Mariner retained Explorer as well in the realignment.