Orange High School Principal Jason Johnson is the 2026 National High School Principal of the Year, according to a press release from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) announced the recognition at the National Education Leadership Awards in Washington, D.C. on Friday. According to the DPI release, the award recognizes “outstanding contributions to student success, school improvement and educational leadership.”
“Representing North Carolina’s public schools on a national stage is an honor, and wouldn’t be possible without the students, staff and community that I work alongside every day,” Johnson said. “This award validates the work we are doing across the state of North Carolina, and it affirms the direction set by the North Carolina State Board of Education and Superintendent Mo Green.”
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Johnson was named North Carolina’s 2025 Wells Fargo Principal of the Year last May. He 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, per the NASSP release.
“His ‘lead with love’ philosophy drives his focus on equity and academic growth for all students,” the NASSP release says.
Johnson has served as a teacher and leader in Chatham and Guilford County Schools and as a school transformation coach with DPI in between his tenures as principal, according to a NASSP release in March.
According to a May 2025 press release from DPI, the school surpassed growth targets in 2023-24 under his leadership, improved its letter grade, and boosted overall proficiency across all racial groups.
“Jason Johnson is a transformational and collaborative leader, and the impact of his educational leadership is felt across the state of North Carolina, not only as a principal, but also in the classroom, district office and even at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction,” said State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green. “This honor is well-deserved, and it is only fitting that the entire nation has the opportunity to benefit from his wise leadership as well.”
Johnson and his team at Orange High have focused on collaboration and student voice, according to the DPI release. Students complete a survey reflecting on their year and identifying strengths and areas for growth. His administration also provides teachers with opportunities for leadership, such as a Guiding Coalition team and ongoing professional development.
“Working with students, teachers and families is at the heart of who I am as an educational leader,” Johnson shared in his application for North Carolina Principal of the Year. “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.
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 chose one middle school and one high school principal as their representative for the Principal of the Year recognition. The NASSP chose three middle-level and three high school finalists, including Johnson.
Johnson was announced at the National Principal of the Year along with a middle school principal, and assistant principals at the middle and high school levels.
“In education, we talk a lot about closing gaps and building culture,” NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe said in the release. “But these four leaders actually did it in real schools, with real kids, under real constraints. That’s not a small thing. Effective principals like them add up to three additional months of learning a year for their students. That difference is life changing.”
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