The school was founded in 1885 by Saint Mary's parish, and included grades one to eleven. It was expanded to include the twelfth grade in 1918, was accredited as Saint Mary's High School in 1919, and the first graduating class was in 1922. The original building was destroyed by a fire and a new school building that opened in 1968 was built in its place. During the late 1980s, the high school went from being a parish high school to a diocesan high school, separating completely from the now-defunct St. Mary Elementary School (K-8). As a result of the change the high school went through several name changes, including St. Mary Regional High School (1988–2000), St. Mary Diocesan High School (2000–2001). On June 11, 2001, then Diocese of Metuchen Bishop Vincent Breen announced that Saint Mary's would close and reopen under a new name the following fall. In September 2001, the school was named Cardinal McCarrick High School, in honor of
Theodore Edgar McCarrick, the first bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen. In 2013, the school, along with Sacred Heart Elementary School, joined the umbrella organization Raritan Bay Catholic Preparatory School. ==Athletics==