The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cedar Grove Elementary School
Cedar Grove Elementary School serves students in preschool through fifth grade as part of the Toms River Regional School District, one of the larger suburban districts in New Jersey. The school is located in the township of Toms River, which functions as both a bedroom suburb of New York City and a regional commercial hub for central Jersey. Toms River is also the county seat of Ocean County, home to the county’s only major indoor mall, and a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and a historic downtown village along the Toms River. The township itself is large, spanning over fifty square miles, which means schools are spread across separate campuses within different parts of the community. Cedar Grove is one of those campuses.
The school enrolls nearly one thousand students, making it a fairly large elementary school for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that gives a sense of the socioeconomic mix the school serves. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, which is a gap a parent may want to explore directly with the school.
On state assessments, proficiency rates vary by grade and subject. In math, third and fourth graders posted proficiency rates close to half of students tested, while fifth graders were markedly lower, with about a third reaching proficiency. In English language arts, performance was more uneven: third graders were below two in five, fourth graders were around two in five, and fifth graders reached above half of students tested, which was the strongest ELA result in the school. In science, which is tested only in fifth grade, about three in ten students met the state’s proficiency standard. When compared to other elementary schools across Ocean County, Cedar Grove’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among the county’s 31 districts, meaning its composite test performance is stronger than that of many peers in the area.
As an elementary school that ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet school.
The surrounding context matters for families considering the school. The Toms River Regional School District has been navigating a period of financial strain. Under New Jersey’s S2 school funding formula, the district has lost a significant amount of state aid in recent years, leading to staff reductions, program cuts, and increasing local tax levies. In early 2022, voters approved a bond referendum to fund full-day kindergarten, which launched in fall 2023 with new classrooms built across a dozen elementary schools. Then in fall 2024, voters rejected a much larger bond referendum that would have covered roof repairs, HVAC replacements, security upgrades, and athletic facility improvements across all district schools. The board has since indicated it will bring forward a revised, smaller proposal, meaning some infrastructure needs remain in limbo.
Housing in the area reflects the broader market. Home values in Toms River are above the national benchmark but below the state average, and the local market has seen a modest uptick in listings with stable demand. For a family weighing a move, the cost of buying or renting here is substantial but not at the top of the New Jersey scale.
For a parent considering Cedar Grove, the school sits within a large district that is managing real fiscal constraints, but the school itself delivers academic results that are competitive within its county. The elementary grades served mean students will transition to a district middle school after fifth grade, and the full-day kindergarten program that launched recently is now in place. The school’s size and demographic mix are typical for a suburban New Jersey elementary school in a regional hub, and its test performance, while varied by grade, is generally a bit better than the median for Ocean County schools. A parent who wants to understand special education or English learner supports, or who wants specifics on class size or arts offerings, would need to ask the school directly, as those details were not available in the data provided.
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