OCEAN GATE—The Ocean Gate Board of Education voted unanimously March 3 to close the borough's public school at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. The century-old institution serving preschool through sixth grade will close in June 2026 after voters rejected a 27 percent tax levy increase and state aid declined over 60 percent.

The district will pay tuition to send approximately 140 students to Berkeley Township schools under a five-year agreement. H & M Potter School will accept preschool through fourth graders. Berkeley Township Elementary will take fifth and sixth graders. Berkeley agreed to hire Ocean Gate's tenured teaching staff.

Ocean Gate currently employs 14 full-time teachers, three part-time teachers and 13 paraprofessionals and preschool aides. The staff includes a nurse, part-time social worker, principal, two secretaries and custodial and cafeteria workers. The district lost nearly $600,000 in state funding since 2019. Annual aid dropped from $951,000 to $367,000 while enrollment climbed roughly 13 percent.

Voters defeated the January 27 referendum by 68 percent with 386 residents voting no. The $700,000 levy would have cost average homeowners $636 annually on a property assessed at $413,297. Without the increase the district could not submit a balanced 2026-27 budget.

Superintendent Doug Corbett stated the board had no alternative. The closure follows the January referendum failure. Ocean Gate rejected a potential merger with Central Regional School District. Central Regional received a $130,000 state grant in 2024 to study consolidation.

The school building's future use remains undetermined. The board has made no decision on selling or repurposing the property. The structure sits within Ocean Gate borough limits in Ocean County.

Berkeley Township scheduled its own board vote for March 4 to finalize the receiving arrangement. Ocean Gate will pay monthly tuition. The agreement spans five years beginning 2026-27.

State aid reductions under New Jersey's S2 funding formula hit small districts with declining property values despite enrollment growth. Ocean Gate's tax base could not sustain the levy increase needed to offset the loss. The funding formula recalibrated state aid away from districts with lower property valuations.

The closure eliminates Ocean Gate's standalone district status. The district will become non-operating and send all students to Berkeley. New Jersey statute permits such send-receive agreements between neighboring districts. The arrangement transfers educational responsibility while retaining local board governance.

Ocean Gate School opened more than a century ago serving generations of borough residents. The June 2026 closure marks the end of the district's independent operation. The final graduating sixth-grade class will complete the academic year before the transfer.

District officials warned prior to the vote that rejection would force closure. The board acted on that warning within five weeks. Ocean Gate becomes the latest small New Jersey district to face budget constraints. Similar closures have hit rural and shore communities facing stagnant tax bases and rising costs. The S2 formula implemented in 2019 redistributed aid based on enrollment and property wealth.

Berkeley Township borders Ocean Gate to the north. The receiving district operates multiple schools. The tuition agreement will increase Berkeley enrollment by roughly 7 percent.

Sources 

Asbury Park Press — "Ocean Gate school to close after voters reject tax hike" — March 4, 2026

NJ.com — "N.J. school district to close after voters reject tax hike" — January 30, 2026

NJ.com — "Ocean Gate school to close this year after voters reject tax hike" — March 5, 2026

NJ1015.com — "Ocean Gate school closing after tax hike rejected" — March 6, 2026

Yahoo News — "Ocean Gate school to close after voters reject tax hike" — March 5, 2026

Patch.com — "Ocean Gate School To Close After Voters Reject Tax Increase" — March 5, 2026

Ocean Gate School District — Calendar documents — March 6, 2026