With the rapid growth of population in Westchester County, especially in the vicinity of White Plains, the need arose for suitable schools that would prepare students to take their place in business, social, and cultural life. Maria Regina High School was founded in 1957 by the late Francis Cardinal Spellman as the First Archdiocesan Catholic High School for girls in Westchester County. The school is located on a historic spot of land where, in July 1781, the French troops under the Compte de Rochambeau encamped, assisting General Washington to the south and west to threaten the British holdings in New York The former Bingham estate was purchased by the Archdiocese in the spring of 1957. Preparations were begun immediately to renovate the entire building to make it suitable for a temporary high school and also a convent for the Sisters of the Resurrection who staff the school. Sister Mary Gertrude, C.R. was appointed the school's first principal.
Admission
Admission into Maria Regina is determined through the student's results on the TACHS examination. Maria Regina also looks at the students academic record for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, and results on standardized examinations for the 6th and 7th grade.
Scholarships
Maria Regina offers several partial scholarships and one full scholarship, all of which are awarded based on the results of the TACHS examination. The highest scorers who put Maria Regina as their first choice receive the scholarships. For this scholarship to be renewed every year, the student must have an overall average greater than 90% at the end of each academic year. Students who are awarded scholarships tend to be placed in Honors classes.
Academics
Maria Regina offers a rigorous college preparatory program. Graduation requires successful completion of the four-year course of study. A total of at least 26 credits is required. The Maria Regina program includes four years of mathematics, English, social studies, and theology; three years of science and a foreign language; and one year of art and music, although many students opt to take four years of science and a foreign language, and more than one year of art. Physical Education and Health are also requirements for graduation. Honors classes are available in all disciplines, except theology, and AP classes are offered in classes such as Biology, Chemistry, English Literature, American History, and European History. There is also a wide variety of electives to choose from for juniors and seniors, such as Introduction to Law, 3D Printing, and Criminal Justice. Maria Regina also sponsors the College Link Program, in which college courses offered at Iona College and St. Thomas Aquinas College can be taken by MRHS students. Students enrolled in this program have the opportunity to earn college credits that can be transferred to their colleges of choice. Maria Regina has two wireless computer labs with a total of fifty computer workstations and a high-speed laser jet printer. There are 15 computer workstations in the library and another laser jet printer. There are also 18 SmartBoards in classrooms through the building.
Clubs and organizations
Athletics
Maria Regina High School is an active member in the Catholic High School Athletic Association. Other member high schools include Cardinal Spellman, Mt. St. Ursula, Preston, and Sacred Heart. All Maria Regina teams also compete in non-conference tournaments, games, and matches so that the schedules are highly competitive. Athletes are required to successfully complete and maintain the same courseload as other students. Over one-fourth of the student body participates in interscholastic after-school athletics programs.
