south toms river... opinions needed! (Lakewood: 2009, houses, to buy)

[rachelb22]

i am househunting, and our budget is very low. I already checked the houses in bayville, and surrounding areas, and at our pricerange, they all needed too much work. we found a very nice home in south toms river, in a neigborhood right next to beachwood, and i am seriously considering it because it is the best house on the market that we can afford.

So can anyone give me their opinion on the school system in south toms river? I am so on the fence about this, because everyone i know tells me not to go to south toms river, but i don't think any of them actually spent any time there or in the schools. (although my brother works at ocean county jail, and he swears that most of the inmates are from lakewood, so. toms river and barnegat, lol). I don't know what to do, and i really want to hear from people who actually live there, and have kids in the schools.!!!

[VeradoDan]

South Toms River used to be OK, but has steadily declined over the past 15 years. There is a lot of gang and drug activity going on including an influx of MS-13 gang members. The park right next to the So. TR Elem. School (Manitou Park) was the scene of a gang shooting that left a man dead last year - the shooting occurred just as the kids were getting out of school.

Suspects In Berkeley Shootout Plead Guilty To Lesser Charges | berkeleytimes.micromediapubs.com | Berkeley Times

Is it the ABSOLUTE worst place to move? No. But if I had kids, I would not want them associating with that element in school every day and possibly be pressured into gang and/or drug activity. The rumors you heard are generally correct about the town.

It's actually a pretty sad situation, because it used to be a great "starting out point" for families who wanted to buy a low-priced house. Unfortunately, the low home prices attracted elements from Lakewood and other seedy places and the crime, drugs and everything else came with those who moved in.