Ocean Gate School District

Ocean Gate School District
Address
126 West Arverne Avenue
Ocean Gate
, Ocean County, New Jersey, 08740
United States
Coordinates39°55′27″N 74°08′38″W / 39.9241°N 74.1439°W / 39.9241; -74.1439
District information
GradesPreK-6
Established1914
SuperintendentDouglas Corbett
Business administratorKevin O'Shea
Schools1
Students and staff
Enrollment142 (as of 2024–25)[1]
Faculty17.3 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio8.2:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupB
Websitewww.oceangateschool.net
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-6
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$18,71836$18,891−0.9%
1Budgetary Cost16,5894813,64921.5%
2Classroom Instruction10,600538,36626.7%
6Support Services2,342322,1618.4%
8Administrative Cost1,763391,46720.2%
10Operations & Maintenance1,615341,5524.1%
13Extracurricular Activities251739−35.9%
16Median Teacher Salary49,120657,437
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-6 districts with any number of students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=59

Ocean Gate School District is a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade from Ocean Gate in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3][4][5]

As of the 2024–25 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 142 students and 17.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.2:1.[1] In the 2016–17 school year, Ocean Gate was tied as having the 26th smallest enrollment of any school district in the state, with 149 students.[6]

Public school students in seventh through twelfth grades attend the schools of the Central Regional School District, which serves students from Ocean Gate and from the municipalities of Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park.[7][8] Schools in the high school district (with 2024–25 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[9]) are Central Regional Middle School[10] with 680 students in grades 7–8 and Central Regional High School[11] with 1,489 students in grades 9–12.[12][13][14] The high school district's board of education consists of nine members, who are directly elected by the residents of the constituent municipalities to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year.[15] Ocean Gate is allocated one of the board's nine seats.[16]

History

The district was established in 1914 with a one-room schoolhouse.[17]

The district had been classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "B", the second-lowest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.[18]

State aid to the district dropped from $951,000 in 2019–20 to $367,000 in 2025–26. In January 2026 the enrollment was 149, a 13% increase from the 2019–20 school year. In January 2026, the district had a proposal for a 27% tax increase as an effort to fill a $700,000 budget shortfall that would allow the district to continue directly operating a school.[19] By a more than 2–1 margin, residents voted down the proposal to increase taxes by $636 per year on the average home.[20] On March 3, 2026, the board of trustees voted to close the school.[21]

The elementary school will close at the end of the 2025–26 school year, and the school district will become a non-operating school district. The district established a five-year sending agreement with the Berkeley Township School District to educate students from Ocean Gate.[17] Students in grades pre-kindergarten through 4 were zoned to H&M Potter School while students in grades 5-6 would be sent to Berkeley Township Elementary School.[21]

Schools

  • Ocean Gate Elementary School had an enrollment of 141 students in grades PreK–6 as of the 2024–25 school year.[22]
    • Irene Marousis, interim principal

Administration

Core members of the district's administration are:[23][24]

  • Douglas Corbett, superintendent
  • Kevin O'Shea, business administrator and board secretary[25]

Board of education

The district's board of education, comprised of five members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[26][27][28]

References

  1. ^ a b c d District information for Ocean Gate School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Public Schools Directory 2025-2026; Living & Learning in Ocean County, Ocean County, New Jersey. Accessed March 1, 2026.
  4. ^ School Performance Reports for the Ocean Gate School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 1, 2025.
  5. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Ocean Gate School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Guion, Payton. "These 43 N.J. school districts have fewer than 200 students", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 2017. Accessed January 30, 2020. "Based on data from the state Department of Education from the last school year and the Census Bureau, NJ Advance Media made a list of the smallest of the small school districts in the state, excluding charter schools and specialty institutions.... 26. Ocean Gate Borough (tie); Enrollment: 149; Grades: Pre-K-6; County: Ocean; Town population: 2,011"
  7. ^ Central Regional Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Central Regional School District, revised August 15, 2019. Accessed March 11, 2026. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades seven through twelve in the Central Regional School District. Composition: The Central Regional School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Berkley Township, Island Heights, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park."
  8. ^ Central Regional School District 2016 School Report Card Narrative Archived August 4, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed July 14, 2017. "The Central Regional School District is located in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township and draws from the constituent districts of Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, and Seaside Park."
  9. ^ School Data for the Central Regional School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
  10. ^ Central Regional Middle School, Central Regional School District. Accessed March 11, 2026.
  11. ^ Central Regional High School, Central Regional School District. Accessed March 11, 2026.
  12. ^ Our Schools, Central Regional School District. Accessed January 21, 2020.
  13. ^ School Performance Reports for the Central Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed September 1, 2025.
  14. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Central Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Central Regional School District, New Jersey Department of Education, June 30, 2025. Accessed March 11, 2026. "The School District is a Type II district located in the County of Ocean, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of nine members appointed to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire each year. The School District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to junior and senior high schools for students of the Boroughs of Island Heights, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and the Township of Berkeley, Ocean County, New Jersey." See "Roster of Officials" on page 16.
  16. ^ Board of Education, Central Regional School District. Accessed March 11, 2026.
  17. ^ a b Marshall, Nyah. "After more than 100 years, tiny N.J. town will shut down its only school", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 5, 2026. Accessed March 11, 2026. "During a brief public meeting Tuesday, the Ocean Gate Board of Education unanimously approved a five-year, renewable agreement with the Berkeley Township School District that will allow Ocean Gate students to attend Berkeley schools beginning next fall. The decision means Ocean Gate Elementary School will close after years of financial difficulties and a recently failed tax hike to help keep it afloat."
  18. ^ District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed December 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Marshall, Nyah. "Tiny N.J. school district wants to hike taxes a shocking 27% to save its only school", January 8, 2026. Accessed March 11, 2026.
  20. ^ Marshall, Nyah. "N.J. town’s only school is on the brink of closing after voters reject 27% tax hike", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 1, 2026. Accessed March 11, 2026. "One of New Jersey’s smallest school districts is facing an uncertain future after voters rejected a steep tax increase officials said was needed to keep its only school open. More than 68% of voters, or 386 residents, voted down the proposed tax hike in the Ocean Gate School District’s Jan. 27 special election, according to unofficial results."
  21. ^ a b Flesher, Veronica. "Ocean Gate To Close School, Send Students To Berkeley", Berkely, NJ Patch, March 4, 2026. Accessed March 11, 2026. "The end of the school year will mark the end of the Ocean Gate School, which will shutter and students will attend the Berkeley Township School District. The decision was made unanimously at March 3's Ocean Gate Board of Education meeting.... Under the new send-receive arrangement, Ocean Gate preschoolers through fourth grade will attend H & M Potter School, while fifth and sixth graders will attend Berkeley Township Elementary School."
  22. ^ School Data for the Ocean Gate Elementary School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed January 15, 2026.
  23. ^ Administration, Ocean Gate School District. Accessed March 11, 2026.
  24. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Ocean County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  25. ^ Business Office, Ocean Gate School District. Accessed March 11, 2026.
  26. ^ New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election, New Jersey Department of Education, updated February 16, 2018. Accessed January 26, 2020.
  27. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Ocean Gate School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed March 11, 2026. "TheThe School District is a Type II district located in the County of Ocean, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education (the Board). The Board is comprised of five members appointed to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members’ terms expire each year. The School District provides a full range of educational services appropriate to grades levels Preschool through 6th grade. These include regular, vocational, as well as special education for handicapped youngsters." See "Roster of Officials" on page 18.
  28. ^ Board of Education, Ocean Gate School District. Accessed March 11, 2026. "Our five member Board of Education is an elected body comprised of residents of Ocean Gate. As Board members, they establish policies and oversight for the Ocean Gate School District. Board members fulfill three-year terms and serve the residents and children of Ocean Gate without pay."
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