TOMS RIVER, NJ – The demographics in the northern section of Toms River, known as North Dover. Once seen as one of the more affluent areas of the town with large single-family mc-mansion style homes, in recent years, a high-density building shift has changed the demographics.
Where most Toms River schools are facing a rate of economically disadvantaged students in the area between 15% and 30%, schools servicing students and families in North Dover are seeing rates as high as 58.2%
Those same schools are also facing high rates of ESL (English as a second language) students. There is a language disparity throughout the district.
The Citta School has a 9.2 ESL rate, while nearby North Dover Elementary’s ESL rate is 12.6%.
The demographic shift can be linked to the development of massive new apartment complexes in the North Dover section of town over the past ten years.
When it comes to economically disadvantaged students, those rates are increasing annually across the state and in many schools in Toms River.
Toms River High School East has ED rate of 21%. Toms River South has an ED rate of 23.1%. Both South and East have ESL rates under 1%. On the other hand, Toms River North, once seen as the ‘affluent’ school in town decades ago, has an ED rate of 34.9% with 6% of students having an ESL designation.
Factors contributing to these changes are not just local. While the affordable housing components built under mayors Tom Kelaher and Mo Hill provide the township with more low-cost affordable apartment-style housing, the open border policies of President Joe Biden are working in that demographics across America are being demographically altered to accommodate the millions of people crossing the southern U.S. border annually.
Now, there is a proposal to have Seaside Heights students attend school in Toms River. Currently those students attend the Central Regional School District. Under that proposal being discussed among district officials, students from the Seaside Heights School District, which has an 83.3% economically disadvantaged rate, and 12.8% ESL rate, would attend Toms River Schools.
Under speculated agreements, Toms River would lose money on the deal and would have to make up in the state-aid deficiencies to cover the cost of educating those students. At this time, no formal proposal has been announced.