Toms River High School East is a comprehensive four-year public high school, the third high school built in Toms River in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Toms River Regional Schools.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,444 students and 107.7 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.4:1. There were 309 students (21.4% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 66 (4.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Toms River High School East, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 15, 2024.
The school won several awards for its heating system, which utilizes heat generating lighting fixtures. Its school colors are black, gray and Columbia blue (blue was not an original color when HSE started). The school mascot is the Raider. The school day lasts six hours and 20 minutes. The Toms River high school day ends at 1:35 PM, one of the earliest daily closing time of any high schools in New Jersey.
History 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 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." Construction was finally approved in a May 1977 referendum authorizing a $10.9 million bond issue to construct the school."Toms River Voters Approve New School", Asbury Park Press, May 15, 1977. Accessed July 2, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Voters in the regional school district approved a third high school yesterday by a 3-to-1 margin, authorizing a $10,947,000 bond issue by a vote of 5,119 to 1,705."
The school opened in September 1979 on a site in a building constructed at a cost $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 as a means 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."
Awards, recognition and rankings The school was the 171st-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014. The school had been ranked 225th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 239th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 2, 2012. The magazine ranked the school 204th in 2008 out of 316 schools.Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed March 23, 2011. The school was ranked 205th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state."Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008. In 2017, the school became the seventh school in the state to be selected by Character.org as a National School of Character.Rotolo, Chris."Toms River East named National School of Character",Asbury Park Press, May 21, 2017. Accessed November 1, 2020. "In a recent announcement by character.org, Toms River High School East was named a 2017 National School of Character, becoming just the seventh New Jersey High School in 20 years – the organization was founded in 1998 – to be designated as such."
Athletics The Toms River High School East RaidersToms River High School East, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, . Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in Division A South of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties along the Jersey Shore.Shore Conference Realignment for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020, Shore Conference. Accessed November 15, 2020.Member Schools, Shore Conference. Accessed November 15, 2020. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. With 1,036 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range.NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV South for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 890 to 1,298 students.NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2024–2026, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated September 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024.
The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Toms River High School South. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
The boys' soccer team won the 1985 South Jersey Group IV state sectional championship against Jackson Memorial High School"CZ's underdog soccer-playin' Toms River East Raiders", Mark Classic, November 23, 2014. Accessed November 10, 2015. "And three of the four wins to capture the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV came via overtime shootout, the last one against standout goalie Chris Gillis and Jackson Memorial in the SJ IV championship at the school I was going to at the time, Ocean County College." and went on to win the Group IV state title with a 3–1 win against Westfield High School in the championship game to finish the season with a 19-5-1 record.NJSIAA History of Boys Soccer, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.LoGiudice, Daniel. "NJ boys soccer: 30 greatest Jersey Shore teams ever", Asbury Park Press, June 16, 2020. Accessed December 8, 2020. "1985 Toms River East (19-5-1) - Following its northern in-town rivals two years afterwards, Toms River East pulled off a Cinderella run of its own that culminated with a 3-1 triumph over Westfield in the Group IV final, the program's first and only group title."
The girls' cross country team won the Group IV state championship in 1988 and 1996.NJSIAA Girls Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
The girls' track team won the Group IV state indoor relay championship in 1990.History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
The 1997 ice hockey team won the Handchen Cup with a 5–4 win against River Dell High School.NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020."O'Leary's goal gives TRE a title", Asbury Park Press, March 2, 1997. Accessed January 10, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Sophomore Sean O'Leary scored the game-winning goal to cap Toms River East's comeback, as the Raiders defeated River Dell 5-4 at South Mountain Arena. The win gave Toms River East the first Handchen Cup title in its 14-year history."
The girls' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1997 and won the Group IV title in 2009.History of NJSIAA Girls Bowling Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020. The 2009 team won the Group IV title with 2,829 pins, the highest score in the competition, and entered the Tournament of Champions as the top seed, before losing in the semifinals to forth-ranked Keyport High School."Manchester", Asbury Park Press, February 17, 2009. Accessed February 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Toms River East was the day's big surprise. After finishing fourth in A South during the regular season, the Raiders led all teams in the tournament with a score of 2,829 and earned the top seed in the Tournament of Champions.... In the final, Manchester faced Keyport, which had just upset top-seeded Toms River East in the other semifinal."