To address the overcrowding, a March 1975 bond referendum was proposed to raise $15 million—the largest ever in county history—for construction of a third high school, which was rejected by a margin of nearly 1,000 votes.

[9] Opened at a time of rising energy prices, the building was designed so that each classroom had only two windows as a means to reduce heat loss through the glass.

[20] The boys' soccer team won the 1985 South Jersey Group IV state sectional championship against Jackson Memorial High School[21] and went on to win the Group IV state title with a 3–1 win against Westfield High School in the championship game to finish the season with a 19-5-1 record.

[28] The 2009 team won the Group IV title with 2,829 pins, the highest score in the competition, and entered the Tournament of Champions as the top seed, before losing in the semifinals to forth-ranked Keyport High School.

[29] The 2001 baseball team finished the season with a record of 29-2 after winning the Group IV state championship, defeating North Bergen High School by a score of 4–3 in the tournament final.

"[33] The softball team won the 2007 South Jersey Group IV state sectional championship with a 5–2 win over Absegami High School.

The lip dub videos feature East students lip-syncing and dancing through the halls and campus of the school.

The videos were created and produced by the Toms River Regional Schools TV Network and television production class.

Lip Dub 2 involved over 400 students and faculty at East and was featured on News 12 New Jersey[37] as well as WOBM.com,[38] a local radio station.