Best High Schools in Zip Code 08754

ZIP code 08754 has two public high schools serving grades 9–12 in Ocean County Vocational Technical School District: OCVTS Grunin Performing Arts Academy, with 259 students, and Ocean County Vocational Technical School Waretown Center, with 74. Both schools have graduation rates above the state’s 89% and lower chronic absenteeism than the state. The clearest shared academic strength is grade 9 English Language Arts: both schools scored well above the state in 2025–2026.

Waretown Center leads in grade 9 English and grade 11 science, scoring 85% and 42%, compared with Grunin’s 74% and 21%; the state scores were 51% and 29%. Grunin leads in grade 9 Algebra I (24% versus 7%) and grade 10 Geometry (9% versus 6%), although both schools are below the state in Geometry. Results also vary by course: in grade 9 Geometry, Waretown scored 36% and Grunin 10%, while the state scored 50%. Grunin’s grade 11 NJGPA Mathematics result was 75%, compared with 61% statewide; Waretown’s result was suppressed.

Recent changes are mixed: both schools’ grade 9 English and grade 11 science scores rose from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, while Grunin’s grade 9 Algebra I score fell 14 percentage points, from 38% to 24%. SchoolDigger rankings also declined over the three listed years: Grunin went from 84th to 248th, and Waretown from 116th to 251st; both moved from four stars to two. Other indicators are favorable: 2024–2025 graduation rates were 95% at Grunin and 100% at Waretown, and chronic absenteeism was 8% and 7%, respectively, versus 14% statewide. Grunin’s student–teacher ratio was 9.2, compared with Waretown’s 8.2. Both reported students eligible for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025: 16% at Grunin and 18% at Waretown.