OCEAN CITY – Enrollment has declined in the city’s schools due in large measure to demographic and economic changes impacting the city: The year-round population has aged, young families have moved out, and school-age children represent a smaller segment of the community.
As a result, enrollment has dropped by close to 450 students over the last 10 years, from 2,142 in 2016 to 1,701 in 2024-25, and over the next five years enrollment is projected to decline still further, by more than 200 students and possibly close to 250.
Those findings were at the heart of a demographic study presented to the school board by Richard Grip, executive director of Statistical Forecasting LLC of Boston, last month.
Those board members present listened to Grip’s presentation, but the meeting was officially canceled due to lack of a quorum. Board President Kevin Barnes allowed the presentation on demographics to proceed “for informational purposes only,” and the board took no action on it or any other item.
Grip in his presentation pointed to the aging of the population, noting that the median age for the city is 57 compared to 40 for the state. “When you have an older community, guess what? You don’t have that many kids in the school district,” he said.
He also said that the median home price in the city is such that twentysomething and thirtysomething individuals cannot afford to live in the community.
The school district has three schools, the Primary School, Intermediate School and Ocean City High School. Ocean City’s neighbor, Sea Isle City, sends its children to the Ocean City School District, with Sea Isle itself listed with the state as a non-operating district.
Neighbors on the mainland, including Upper Township, Corbin City and Longport also use Ocean City as a destination high school for their students, with Upper Township running a pre-K to 8 school district of its own. The Ocean City district also runs a popular school choice program under state regulations.
Even with all of these alternative sources of students, enrollment in the city’s schools in 2016 was 2,142, and as of 2024-2025 sat at 1,701, a decline of 441 students over the decade.
The study also projected enrollment from the 2025-26 to the 2029-30 school years. The study considered demographics, housing prospects, especially at affordable levels and birth data among other factors.
The conclusion was that the Ocean City district will see a further decline in enrollment, ranging from 217 to 242 students, by 2029-2030. The largest drop will be in the high school population, as current smaller intermediate school numbers work through the high school years. Underutilization of school capacity will continue to be an issue.
In terms of county demographic trends, the Herald has previously reported that the county lost more than 10,000 of its 18-and-younger population from 2000 to 2020. The overall population did not decline by that number because of a constant influx of older adults selecting Cape May County as an ideal retirement location. In 2000 the census reported 26% of the county population as 18 and younger; by 2020 that percentage had dropped to 17%.
Those interested in reading the full 38-page Ocean City report can find it here. The slides of Grip’s presentation are available here. The video record of Grip’s address is available here.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
