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NC Principal Jason Johnson is a finalist for National High School Principal of the Year

News Principals K-12
Principal Jason Johnson with students. Courtesy of Orange County Schools

Jason Johnson, North Carolina’s 2025 Wells Fargo Principal of the Year, is a finalist for the National High School Principal of the Year award, according to a National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) press release.

Johnson, principal of Orange High School in Hillsborough, is one of three finalists for the award. Nine other finalists will compete for middle school-level awards and assistant principal awards. The other two finalists in Johnson’s category are Colin McNaught, principal of Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas and Christine Udarbe of Nānākuli High and Intermediate School in Hawaii.

“These remarkable school leaders are the unsung heroes making schools places where every student belongs and thrives,” said NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe in the press release. “NASSP celebrates their dedication because they prove that innovative, student-centered leadership transforms not just schools, but entire communities.” 

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According to the release, each state — along with the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools, and the Department of Defense Education Activity — selected one middle school and one high school principal, as well as one middle school and one high school assistant principal, as its representative. From this pool, three finalists are chosen in each category. 

With more than 25 years in education, Johnson has also served as a teacher and leader in Chatham and Guilford County Schools, the NASSP release says, and as a school transformation coach with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). He is known and regarded for leading with love.

Johnson served as Orange High’s principal from 2012-2016 and came back in 2021. He has been Orange County’s Principal of the Year twice — in 2010 and 2025 — and has served on the district’s Equity Task Force, the NASSP release said. 

Under his leadership, the school exceeded growth expectations in 2023-24, raised the school’s letter grade, and increased overall proficiency across all racial groups, according to a press release from DPI in May 2025.

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“It is evident that Jason is dedicated to developing teacher leaders and fostering student success regardless of their postgraduate pursuits,” said State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green when Johnson won North Carolina Principal of the Year.

Working alongside his leadership team, Johnson realigned and strengthened key instructional strategies to help ensure all students meet learning goals, the DPI release said. He also emphasized student feedback, encouraging students to complete surveys reflecting on their experiences and identifying strengths and areas for improvement for the coming year.

“Working with students, teachers and families is at the heart of who I am as an educational leader,” Johnson shared in his application for the N.C. award. “My experiences at central office and the other jobs that I had over the years helped me realize my passion for building leadership capacity in others. … My heart and soul is building teacher leaders and a collaborative culture at my school.”

Johnson earned his undergraduate degree from North Carolina A&T State University before going on to UNC Greensboro, where he completed a master’s in school administration and a specialist degree in educational administration.

The winners will be announced at a gala in Washington, D.C. on April 17.

News Principals K-12
Sergio Osnaya-Prieto

Sergio Osnaya-Prieto served as EdNC’s director of communications from January 2021-November 2022, and he served as a senior reporting fellow from January 2025-May 2026.

He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in public policy and journalism from the UNC Hussman School of Media and Journalism. During his time at UNC, Sergio worked on The Daily Tar Heel’s copy and online desk and became the chief copy editor in the fall of 2020. That summer, he served as the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, directing the DTH’s coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNC’s COVID-19 response, and racial justice protests. He has also worked as a reporter for Qué Pasa Media Network and a social media manager for Latino Communications.

In 2025, Sergio graduated with a Master of Public Administration degree with a specialization in international development from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. As a graduate student, Sergio focused on labor migration and climate displacement. He served as project assistant to NYU Wagner’s Capstone co-directors, and he worked as a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme in Colombia for his own Capstone project. In the summer of 2024, he worked with the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa as a public information intern.

Sergio lived in New York City and Mexico City before moving to Raleigh in 2012, where he attended Enloe High School and Wake Technical Community College.

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