As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,520 students and 107.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.1:1. There were 267 students (17.6% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 84 (5.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2]
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.[5] 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.[citation needed]
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.[6][7] Construction was finally approved in a May 1977 referendum authorizing a $10.9 million bond issue to construct the school.[8]
The school opened in September 1979 on a 79-acre (32 ha) site in a building constructed at a cost $10.9 million (equivalent to $45.8 million in 2023).[9] 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.[10]
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.[11] 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.[12] The magazine ranked the school 204th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[13] The school was ranked 205th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[14] In 2017, the school became the seventh school in the state to be selected by Character.org as a National School of Character.[15]
Athletics
The Toms River High School East Raiders[3] 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.[4][16] The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[17] 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.[18] 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.[19]
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.[20]
The boys' soccer team won the 1985 South Jersey Group IV state sectional championship against Jackson Memorial High School[21] 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.[22][23]
The girls' cross country team won the Group IV state championship in 1988 and 1996.[24]
The girls' track team won the Group IV state indoor relay championship in 1990.[25]
The girls' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1997 and won the Group IV title in 2009.[28] 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.[29]
The 2001 baseball team finished the season with a record of 29-2 after winning the Group IV state championship, defeating North Bergen High School by a score of 4–3 in the tournament final.[30][31][32]
The football team won the Shore Conference championships in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2009. The school's major rivalry is with the Mariners of Toms River High School North. Every Thanksgiving weekend, the football teams play in the annual "Battle of Bay Avenue."[33]
The softball team won the 2007 South Jersey Group IV state sectional championship with a 5–2 win over Absegami High School.[34]
Lip Dub videos
Toms River High School East was recognized across the state and even the country for their Lip Dub 1[35] and Lip Dub 2[36] videos. The lip dub videos feature East students lip-syncing and dancing through the halls and campus of the school. The videos were created and produced by the Toms River Regional Schools TV Network and television production class. The students spent roughly three months planning Lip Dub 1, planning camera movement and timing out cues for the students who were lip-syncing in the video. Lip Dub 1 features about 150 students involved in many different sports, clubs and activities at East.
In that same school year, Lip Dub 1 received so much recognition that it inspired students and faculty at East to request a second lip dub be filmed. Lip Dub 2 involved over 400 students and faculty at East and was featured on News 12 New Jersey[37] as well as WOBM.com,[38] a local radio station.
Administration
The school's principal is Erin Anders. Her core administration team includes three assistant principals.[1]
Ted Gillen (born 1968), former professional soccer player who led the school soccer team to the 1985 Group IV state championship, and now is an assistant principal at the school and coaches the school's soccer team[47]
^"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 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."
^"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."
^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."
^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."
^"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."
^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."
^"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."
^"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."
^"Valiant effort falls short for Bruins", The Hudson Reporter, June 15, 2001. Accessed December 8, 2020. "In the days leading up to last Saturday's NJSIAA Group IV state championship game against Toms River East, North Bergen Head Baseball Coach Brian Boyce was asked how he prepared to face the No. 1 team in the state.... It didn't help that Doherty was staked to a 4-0 lead before his team ever took the field, but the Bruins hung tough from there, losing a tough, yet valiant, 4-3 decision in the state title game at Toms River North High School last Saturday."
^Graham, Tony. "Dohertys control seals 1st title for Raiders", Asbury Park Press, June 10, 2001. Accessed January 5, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "As he prepared to take the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning against North Bergen in yesterday's New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group IV championship game, Toms River East pitcher Ryan Doherty had words of assurance for cnanh Bill Frank.... Doherty, a junior who struck out 10, pitched shutout ball after the third inning against the Bruins (22-9), enabling the Raiders (29-2) to capture their first state title at Toms River North's Ryan Field."
^"New Jersey Native Signs with Sky Blue FC", Our Sports Central, December 6, 2010. Accessed August 13, 2023. "After securing four Most Valuable Player Awards and becoming the all-time leading scorer at Toms River High School East, Blank continued her soccer career at West Virginia University."
^Jordan, Chris. "Springsteen photog Danny Clinch focus of 60 Minutes", Asbury Park Press, February 10, 2015. Accessed September 26, 2017. "Clinch, a 1982 graduate of Toms River High School East, studied under Annie Leibowitz and at the New England School of Photography and two programs at the Ansel Adams Workshop in New York City."
^Stump, Scott. "7-Foot-1 Pitcher Cut By Team In Minors Is Next Big Thing In Beach Volleyball", The Post Game, November 19, 2013. Accessed October 12, 2015. "Doherty grew up in baseball-mad Toms River, N.J., home of the two-time Little League World Series champions and a trio of strong high school programs. After starring as a hard-throwing right-handed starter at Toms River High School East, Doherty became an All-Big East closer at Notre Dame in 2004."
^Feitl, Steve. "Back to His Roots: Frank Edgar part of fight card in UFC's return to New Jersey"[permanent dead link], Home News Tribune, November 15, 2007. Accessed December 28, 2007. "After an accomplished wrestling career — one that saw him place twice at states while at Toms River High School East and qualify for nationals all four years as an All-American at Clarion University in Pennsylvania — Edgar chose to train for the combat sport that merges numerous disciplines from wrestling to jiu-jitsu to kickboxing."
^Lagomarsino, Andrew. "Hurt Locker star and N.J. native Brian Geraghty turns 'sociopath' at Tribeca Film Festival"Archived May 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, April 28, 2010. Accessed December 15, 2011. "New Jersey native Brian Geraghty, who received acclaim for his performance in the Academy Award winning best picture The Hurt Locker, is showing his versatility as an actor. The 34-year-old Toms River native who graduated from Toms River East High School in 1993 plays an insecure soldier in The Hurt Locker..."
^Christopher, Chris. "Ted Gillen - Back Where He Belongs"Archived January 3, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, copy of article from Ocean County Observer, October 30, 2002. "Gillen has been around. He starred at Toms River East, helping the Raiders win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association 1985 Group IV state title."
^Twenty Second Annual Induction Dinner, Toms River Regional Schools, May 5, 2013. Accessed November 22, 2021. "Lori Grifa is a member of the very first graduating class of Toms River High School East, proudly accepting her diploma in 1981."
^Baldwin, Chris. "Jovanovic gets the call; Dover Township bobsledder makes Olympics on USA 1", Asbury Park Press, December 16, 2001. Accessed June 8, 2021. "Pavle Jovanovic just knew his obsession was one huge leap closer. Jovanovic - a 24-year-old Toms River High School East graduate - has been named to the US Olympic bobsledding team, completing a stunning five-year journey."
^Canavan, Tom. "Johnson takes reigns as Princeton coach", Ocean County Observer, April 21, 2007. Accessed June 5, 2007. "The only three-time basketball captain at Princeton, the 32-year-old Johnson replaces Joe Scott, a Toms River High School East graduate who resigned to take the head coaching job at the University of Denver shortly after the Tigers finished in last place."