New York State Announces 2026 Teacher of the Year

The New York State Teacher of the Year Advisory Council today named Prince Johnson, a 9th grade social studies teacher at Food and Finance High School in Manhattan, as the 2026 New York State Teacher of the Year. Each year, New York selects a teacher whose passion for teaching, involvement in their community, and impact on their school's culture far exceeds expectations. As Teacher of the Year, Mr. Johnson will not only serve as an ambassador for New York State teachers, but will also serve as the state's nominee for the National Teacher of the Year Program, whose winner is announced each spring.

Currently in his 27th year of teaching, Mr. Johnson has spent the last 18 years as an educator at Food and Finance High School, a Career and Technical Education high school for the culinary arts. He currently teaches 9th grade AP Human Geography in an inclusive classroom that includes students with disabilities and English Language Learners. Mr. Johnson not only engages students by incorporating culinary themes into class assignments, but encourages students to explore their heritage through the lens of culinary history, geography, and migration. His classroom also serves as a safe haven for students before school, at lunch, and after school. In the 2024-25 school year, he served as the advisor for the school's first-ever Horror Film Club, where he screened movies in his classroom each week and empowered student members to lead and facilitate the direction of the club.

Mr. Johnson is passionate about both his own and his colleagues' professional development. From 2019-2020 he was granted a yearlong educational sabbatical at Rutgers University to study African American History. His commitment to continued growth and learning has helped him to facilitate equity-centered projects in AP Human Geography and AP African American Studies, and to incorporate non-Western perspectives in Global History, as well as African American, Latinx, and LGBTQ perspectives in American History. Additionally, Mr. Johnson has served as a mentor for new teachers and facilitated professional development on the use of Universal Design for Learning. He is also a member of the school leadership team, helping to give a voice to teachers as part of the educational decision-making process for the school.

The Teacher of the Year Advisory Council honored four finalists for the 2026 Teacher of the Year:

• Colleen Hall - English teacher, Brighton High School, Brighton Central School District
• Nicole Greene - Special Education teacher, Scarsdale Middle School, Scarsdale Public Schools
• Betty Haynes - Social Studies teacher, Cleveland Hill Middle School, Cleveland Hill Union Free School District
• Lisa Egan - 3rd grade teacher, Cross Hill Academy, Yonkers Public Schools

Application and Selection Process

The application process consists of four rounds, including initial application review, response question review, site visits, and in-person interviews. The New York State Teacher of the Year Advisory Council is responsible for selecting the Teacher of the Year, as well as one or more finalists. The council, made up primarily of former Teacher of the Year awardees, is a volunteer committee that promotes and supports the New York State Teacher of the Year Program.

The New York State Teacher of the Year Program is sponsored by New York State United Teachers (NYSUT); United Federation of Teachers (UFT); New York State Parent Teacher Association (NYSPTA); New York State Association of School Curriculum Development (NYSASCD); New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA); School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS); New York State Association of Teacher Educators (NYSATE); and New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE). The program is run in conjunction with the National Teacher of the Year Program, sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

Additional information about the New York State Teacher of the Year Program is available on NYSED's Teacher of the Year website.