National Principal of the Year Award

The NASSP National Principal of the Year program recognizes outstanding middle level and high school principals. The program annually honors secondary school principals who have succeeded in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students as well as demonstrating exemplary contributions to the profession. 

Each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools, and the Department of Defense Education Activity select one middle level or high school principal to represent their state. 

From these state winners, three finalists are named as contenders for the National Principal of the Year award. The NASSP National Principal of the Year is selected from among the finalists.

CLICK HERE to register and begin your application.

NOTE: You must be a member of both FASA and NASSP to qualify. Once you register for an account, the system will save your progress on your application.

Timeline:

September 1, 2026 Open for applications

December 1, 2026 Applications due to FASA

December 10, 2026 State judging process completed

December 15, 2026  Florida winner sent to NASSP and winner notified

February 17, 2027 National Education Leadership Awards (NELA) RSVP invitations sent to state POYs and APOYs

TBD 2027 NELA event

June 7-9, 2027 Recognition at the FASA Discover '27 Conference, Orlando, FL

2026 Principal of Year

Ryan Chase
Sarasota High School
Sarasota County Schools

2025 Principal of Year

Dr. Michael George
Atlantic Coast High School
Duval County Schools

2024 Principal of Year

Brent Frazier
Umatilla High School
Lake County Schools