Best Public Schools in Toms River, NJ

Summary:

The Toms River, New Jersey school district consists of 16 schools, including 10 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools, serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district is part of the Toms River Regional School District, which is ranked 435 out of 613 districts in New Jersey and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out. North Dover Elementary School consistently performs above the district and state averages on standardized tests, with over 50% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics. OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts Academy, a high school part of the Ocean County Vocational Technical School District, has a 4-star rating and strong performance on state assessments, particularly in English Language Arts. Additionally, Toms River High School East is among the top high schools in the district, with a 3-star rating and better-than-average performance on state assessments, especially in Geometry.

The district exhibits significant performance gaps between the highest and lowest-performing schools, particularly in standardized test scores. This suggests that students may not have equal access to educational resources and opportunities. Socioeconomic factors, such as the wide range in free/reduced lunch rates, likely contribute to these disparities. While the district as a whole has a low 1-star rating, the presence of high-performing schools within the system indicates that there are pockets of excellence that could be leveraged to improve overall district performance. Addressing issues like chronic absenteeism, which is consistently high across all schools, could also be a key strategy for improving student outcomes in the Toms River school district.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NJSLA-S Science (2024)			NJSLA English Language Arts (2024)							NJSLA Mathematics (2024)						NJSLA Algebra I (2024)					NJSLA Geometry (2024)			NJSLA Algebra II (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NJSLA-S Science 5th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 8th Grade	NJSLA-S Science 11th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NJSLA English Language Arts 9th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 4th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 5th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 6th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 7th Grade	NJSLA Mathematics 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 7th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 8th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I 10th Grade	NJSLA Algebra I End of Course	NJSLA Geometry 8th Grade	NJSLA Geometry 9th Grade	NJSLA Geometry End of Course	NJSLA Algebra II 9th Grade	NJSLA Algebra II End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ocean Regional School	Public, Alternative	2-12	1141 Old Freehold Rd	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Office Of Education Department Of Children And Families	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-4180	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Ocean County Jdc	Public	9-12	165 Sunset Avenue	Toms River	08754	Ocean County	Ocean County Jdc	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 341-1365	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Ocean County Vocational Technical School Toms River Center	Public	9-12	1299 Old Freehold Road	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Ocean County Vocational Technical School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 473-3100	0	22	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																											$8,286	$841	$7,445
OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts Academy	Public	9-12	1 College Drive	Toms River	08754	Ocean County	Ocean County Vocational Technical School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 286-5678	268	29	9.4	9.0%	215 (80.2%)	6 (2.2%)	29 (10.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.5%)	68.1	91^st of 426 public high schools	78.6%		48.4	165^th of 422 public high schools	60.9%	74			28.6							94.4									43.5		43.5						$15,088		$15,088
Joseph A. Citta Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2050 Lakewood Road	Toms River	08755	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 818-8550	522	38	13.8	67.6%	154 (29.5%)	85 (16.3%)	226 (43.3%)	30 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.2%)	19.2	1086^th of 1338 public elementary schools	18.8%		22.9	1042^nd of 1342 public elementary schools	22.4%	44	7.7			24.2	27.4	40.0					26.4	26.3	23.1														$6,372	$520	$5,852
Toms River High School North	Public	9-12	1245 Old Freehold Road	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5702	1,962	136	14.4	37.6%	963 (49.1%)	159 (8.1%)	664 (33.8%)	106 (5.4%)	2 (0.1%)	4 (0.2%)	63 (3.2%)	36.3	233^rd of 426 public high schools	45.3%		23.6	317^th of 422 public high schools	24.9%	84			19.7							57.7									18.5	10.0	18.3		61.2	61.2			$7,049		$7,049
Toms River High School South	Public	9-12	55 Hyers Street	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5738	1,371	91	15.1	32.7%	868 (63.3%)	77 (5.6%)	363 (26.5%)	25 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (2.8%)	34.4	242^nd of 426 public high schools	43.2%		19	338^th of 422 public high schools	19.9%	96			8.1							57.4									19.9		19.7		70.0	70.0	81.8	81.8	$7,311		$7,311
Toms River Intermediate School East	Public	6-8	1519 Hooper Avenue	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5777	1,278	87	14.6	28.6%	922 (72.1%)	35 (2.7%)	235 (18.4%)	33 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (4.1%)	53.6	319^th of 743 public middle schools	57.1%		44.5	393^rd of 748 public middle schools	47.5%	74		20.5					55.8	60.4	53.5					30.7	39.4	15.4	100.0					100.0		100.0			$5,993		$5,993
Toms River Intermediate School North	Public	6-8	150 Intermediate North Way	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 505-5800	932	86	10.7	46.2%	403 (43.2%)	87 (9.3%)	338 (36.3%)	61 (6.5%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	39 (4.2%)	35.8	457^th of 743 public middle schools	38.5%		38	434^th of 748 public middle schools	42.0%	23		12.2					45.7	51.6	41.5					20.6	29.9	9.4		81.4			82.6						$7,203	$194	$7,009
Cedar Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	179 Cedar Grove Road	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5830	957	55	17.5	31.9%	625 (65.3%)	20 (2.1%)	255 (26.6%)	25 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (3.3%)	39.6	803^rd of 1338 public elementary schools	40.0%		46.6	712^th of 1342 public elementary schools	46.9%	91	20.0			32.3	39.4	51.9					44.3	45.5	34.6														$4,999	$101	$4,898
East Dover Elementary School	Public	K-5	725 Vaughn Avenue	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 505-5840	601	50	12.0	34.3%	411 (68.4%)	16 (2.7%)	139 (23.1%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	27 (4.5%)	22	1044^th of 1338 public elementary schools	22.0%		20.6	1082^nd of 1342 public elementary schools	19.4%	38	10.6			31.2	31.3	27.9					40.9	21.9	24.1														$7,109	$329	$6,780
Hooper Avenue Elementary School	Public	K-5	1517 Hooper Avenue	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5850	697	47	14.8	17.2%	535 (76.8%)	16 (2.3%)	105 (15.1%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (4.6%)	48.6	688^th of 1338 public elementary schools	48.6%		42.6	773^rd of 1342 public elementary schools	42.4%	85	20.9			33.6	50.3	63.6					47.8	47.4	40.9														$6,561	$346	$6,215
North Dover Elementary School	Public	K-5	1759 New Hampshire Avenue	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5860	386	30	12.8	38.9%	175 (45.3%)	27 (7.0%)	133 (34.5%)	35 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (3.9%)	66.1	468^th of 1338 public elementary schools	65.0%		58.5	559^th of 1342 public elementary schools	58.3%	91	31.0			54.4	60.0	59.4					55.1	63.6	52.1														$6,547	$170	$6,377
Silver Bay Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	100 Silver Bay Road	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5880	604	43	14.0	33.4%	434 (71.9%)	14 (2.3%)	118 (19.5%)	8 (1.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.6%)	49.3	677^th of 1338 public elementary schools	49.4%		38.1	832^nd of 1342 public elementary schools	38.0%	155	21.9			50.6	48.6	40.2					56.5	45.9	41.4														$7,524		$7,524
South Toms River Elementary School	Public	K-5	419 Dover Road	Toms River	08757	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 505-5890	310	29	10.8	73.5%	103 (33.2%)	33 (10.6%)	136 (43.9%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (11.0%)	13.5	1174^th of 1338 public elementary schools	12.3%		13.3	1182^nd of 1342 public elementary schools	11.9%	8	7.0			15.2	21.3	27.3					17.1	12.9	29.8														$8,351	$672	$7,679
Walnut Street Elementary School	Public	K-5	60 Walnut Street	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 505-5900	718	60	12.0	54.0%	256 (35.7%)	66 (9.2%)	320 (44.6%)	36 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.6%)	19.2	1087^th of 1338 public elementary schools	18.8%		17.6	1119^th of 1342 public elementary schools	16.6%	32	7.5			32.7	21.9	21.9					39.7	28.0	17.9														$6,860	$486	$6,374
Washington Street Elementary School	Public	K-5	500 West Earl Court	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5910	337	24	14.2	36.5%	226 (67.1%)	10 (3.0%)	76 (22.6%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.3%)	47.1	708^th of 1338 public elementary schools	47.1%		47.8	696^th of 1342 public elementary schools	48.1%	12	24.0			42.8	24.0	52.1					53.8	46.0	48.0														$6,399	$280	$6,119
West Dover Elementary School	Public	K-5	50 Blue Jay Drive	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(732) 505-5920	409	32	12.7	39.4%	239 (58.4%)	28 (6.8%)	95 (23.2%)	23 (5.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.6%)	35.8	856^th of 1338 public elementary schools	36.0%		31.9	923^rd of 1342 public elementary schools	31.2%	67	19.3			30.8	40.4	38.5					29.3	50.9	42.3														$7,274	$289	$6,985
Toms River High School East	Public	9-12	1225 Raider Way	Toms River	08753	Ocean County	Toms River Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(732) 505-5665	1,444	108	13.4	26.0%	1,044 (72.3%)	48 (3.3%)	260 (18.0%)	47 (3.3%)	2 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (3.0%)	40.7	213^th of 426 public high schools	50.0%		33.4	250^th of 422 public high schools	40.8%	37			23.1							56.2									22.7		22.7		71.1	71.1			$7,815		$7,815

Cities Near Toms River

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Brick	3.01 mi	13	354^th
Island Heights	3.5 mi	1	136^th
Pine Beach	3.68 mi	1	482^nd
Beachwood	4.58 mi	2	397^th
Ocean Gate	4.88 mi	1	469^th

See the top NJ New Jersey cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Jersey Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.