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.

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.

The high school had a partnership with Saint Peter's University of Jersey City to serve as a satellite campus for their graduate studies.

In 2000–2001, Cardinal McCarrick High School rewrote their mission statement - "The mission of Cardinal McCarrick High School is to facilitate, nurture, and instill a thirst for knowledge based on Catholic moral principles in preparation for life's journey to create a better world."

[8] The boys basketball team won the NJSIAA Parochial South B championship in 2003, defeating Wildwood Catholic High School, 67–51.