Toms River Regional Schools is a comprehensive regional public school district primarily located in the quickly growing coastal community of Toms River, located in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, along the state's Jersey Shore. The district includes Toms River and the adjoining boroughs of Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River.Toms River Regional School District 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed June 17, 2020. "Toms River Regional is the largest suburban school district in the state, with a population of approximately 16,000 students learning in a pre-kindergarten early learning center, twelve elementary schools, three intermediate schools and three high schools. Despite its size, the district takes enormous pride in providing a neighborhood school concept with high-quality educational programs, facilities, and services for students from our four sending towns of Beachwood, Pine Beach, South Toms River, and Toms River." In the 2020–21 school year it was the second-largest suburban school district in the state, and the sixth-largest school district in New Jersey (after Newark, Elizabeth, Jersey City, Paterson and Edison).Heyboer, Kelly. "9 of N.J.’s top 10 largest school districts are now all-remote. Here’s when they may go back.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 8, 2020. Accessed November 1, 2025. "" It is also the largest school district in the state that is not an Abbott District.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the district, comprised of 18 schools, had an enrollment of 14,654 students and 1,078.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1.District information for Toms River Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
The district has three high schools -- Toms River High School South, Toms River High School North, and Toms River High School East—as well as three middle schools—Toms River Intermediate School East, Toms River Intermediate School North (formerly Intermediate West), and Toms River Intermediate School South.
To raise money for the schools, the district created Toms River Fest, a major festival held during the summer in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
History In previous eras, the district segregated students by race. In 1948 the district had a separate elementary school for black students. Journal of Negro Education stated the school was "very crude and is situated out in the woods." - CITED: p. 87.
When Central Regional High School opened in September 1956, sending/receiving relationships under which students from Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Lacey Township, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park attended the district's schools for grades 7-12 were ended. The Toms River district had announced that it could no longer accommodate students from these six municipalities after that date."Board Okays Finance Plans", Asbury Park Press, February 25, 1955. Accessed March 11, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The Board of Local Government yesterday approved financial plans for the proposed $1,430,000 Ocean County Central Regional High School.... The board is shooting for a target date of September 1956, for the school opening. This is the date beyond which the Toms River Consolidated School District will no longer accept high school pupils from Seaside Park, Seaside Heights, Island Heights, Ocean Gate, and Berkeley and Lacey Townships.... The proposed six-year junior-senior high school is to be located on the 87-acre site of the former Pinewald Golf Course in Berkeley Township."
Constructed at a cost of $3.9 million (equivalent to $ million in ),"26-Class Addition Vote Set; Sept. Balloting In Dover Twp.", Asbury Park Press, July 5, 1968. Accessed July 18, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "One of the phases of the program, construction of the Toms River North High School, a $3,855,000 complex, set to open in September 1969, is moving ahead as scheduled." Toms River High School North opened in 1969 in order to alleviate overcrowding in the original high school (which was renamed as Toms River High School South), which was found to be too small to accommodate the fast-growing community."Toms River North in Operation", Asbury Park Press, September 26, 1979. Accessed February 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "An outside view of the new Toms River North High School, Old Freehold Rd., which opened this month." When the school opened it served students living north of Route 37, while those living south of that line would attend Toms River South, including those from the constituent districts of Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River."School Progresses", Asbury Park Press, January 10, 1969. Accessed July 18, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Construction it progressing on the Toms River High School North, scheduled to open in September for Toms River students north of Route 37. The present school will then accommodate Toms River students living south of Route 37 and commuters from Beachwood, Pine Beach, and South Toms River." The first class to graduate wasn't until 1971, since all of the seniors were kept at TRHSS for the class of 1970.
By 1974, the district was facing split sessions for students, as the district's first and second high schools, Toms River High School South and Toms River High School North, had a total of 4,600 students, nearly 50% above capacity. To address the overcrowding, a March 1975 bond referendum was proposed to raise $15 million—the largest ever in county history—for construction of a third high school, which was rejected by a margin of nearly a 1,000 votes."2 Schools Face Split Sessions", Asbury Park Press, December 18, 1974. Accessed April 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The two high schools have an enrollment of about 4,600, some 1,500 more than the functional capacities of Toms River High School North and Toms River High School South.... The proposed third high school would be known as Toms River High School East. Voters will be asked to approve a $14,975,000 bond issue for the school at a March 11 referendum.""Defeat Seen Delaying School", Asbury Park Press, March 17, 1975.Accessed April 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Toms River Regional School Superintendent John Bennett believes defeat of the $15 million school referendum Tuesday means new high school facilities can't be ready until a year after the hoped-for September 1978 opening. Bennett made his comments after the defeat of the largest single school referendum ever offered in Monmouth or Ocean counties.... The vote, with 22 per cent of the district's registered voters casting ballots, was 4,092 to 3,101." Toms River High School East opened in September 1979 on a site in a building constructed at a cost of $10.9 million (equivalent to $ million in )."New High Schools Greet Students", Asbury Park Press, September 6, 1979. Accessed July 18, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Business teacher Dorothy Lepo (above) points out a typewriter procedure to clerical office student Donna Duckworth, 16, of Ortley Beach on the first day of classes at Toms River High School East. Principal Richard Piscal said things ran smoothly. The opening of the $10.9 million school on a 79-acre tract off Dunedin Street eliminates split sessions in the district's two other high schools." Opened at a time of rising energy prices, the building was designed so that each classroom had only two windows in order to reduce heat loss through the glass.McDaniel, Patricia. Soaring Cost of Heating Oil Troubles School Officials", Asbury Park Press, October 28, 1979. Accessed April 16, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Toms River Regional School District serves more than 80,000 residents of four municipalities and has 15 schools, including the new Toms River High School East.... One bright spot in the district's problems with rising costs, however, is that Toms River High School East was designed for fuel efficiency.... The building has only two windows in each classroom and none in the gymnasium as part of a fuel-efficient system designed to hold heat generated by bodies and lights."
With the opening of Intermediate South in September 2005, constructed at a cost of $27 million, all sixth grade classes were shifted from the district's 12 elementary schools to the three middle schools in order to alleviate overcrowding. Also at that time, Intermediate West was renamed Intermediate North.Mikle, Jen. "Frenzy of activity as school prepares to open", Asbury Park Press, September 1, 2005. Accessed November 1, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "About 1,290 sixth-, seventhand eighth-graders from Pine Beach, South Toms River and of Media specialist Joe Benshetler day in preparation for the school's Beachwood will attend Intermediate South. The 195,000-square-foot school was built on about 20 acres off Pinewald Road, near the Beachwood municipal complex.... The opening will allow the district to move sixth-grade students to the middle schools for the first time."
After the Seaside Park School District closed in 2010, a sending / receiving relationship was established to allow students in grades K-6 from Seaside Park to attend the Toms River Schools. In 2017, the Appellate Division affirmed a decision by the New Jersey Department of Education allowing students from Seaside Park the option of attending school for grades K-6 in either Toms River or in the Lavallette School District, under the terms of a dual sending/receiving relationship. The Lavallette district had actively supported the proposal when the original petition was submitted in 2015 and the Appellate Division rejected the objections raised by the Toms River district, noting that no protest had been made when Seaside Park had submitted its original petition.Wall, Karen. "Seaside Park Seeking Approval To Send Elementary Students To Lavallette; Borough students attend K-6 in Toms River; the move would relieve parents -- including 4 school board members -- of tuition to Lavallette.", Toms River Patch, May 20, 2015. Accessed November 22, 2017. "The Seaside Park Board of Education is seeking state approval to send its elementary students to Lavallette Elementary School -- a move the Toms River Regional Board of Education is not opposing....Seaside Park has been sending its elementary students to Toms River since it closed the borough's elementary school in 2010. This year, 27 students are covered under that agreement, according to Seaside Park's tentative budget for the 2015-16 school year. But several Seaside Park students already are attending Lavallette -- a K-8 school -- with their parents paying tuition for them to do so."Dev, Sanmathi (Sanu). "Appellate Division Approves Dual Send-Receive Relationship", The NJ School Law Blog, May 9, 2017. Accessed November 22, 2017. "In 2009, Seaside Park entered into a send-receive agreement with Toms River to educate its K-6 students after Seaside Park closed its elementary school. In March 2015, Seaside Park initiated a petition with the Commissioner requesting it to enter into a second sending-receiving relationship – this time with Lavallette – while maintaining its existing agreement with Toms River. Seaside Park argued that the send-receive relationship with Lavallette would provide greater educational choice to its families. Seaside Park never sought to end its send-receive relationship with Toms River."In the Matter of the Petition for Authorization to Enter into a Sending-Receiving Relationship with the Board of Education of the Borough of Lavallette, Ocean County, Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, decided May 4, 2017. Accessed November 22, 2017.