Prince Johnson, a 9th grade social studies teacher at Food and Finance High School in Manhattan, has been named the 2026 New York State Teacher of the Year by the New York State Teacher of the Year Advisory Council. Johnson will serve as an ambassador for teachers across the state and will be New York’s nominee for the National Teacher of the Year Program, which announces its winner each spring.
Johnson has taught for 27 years, with 18 years spent at Food and Finance High School, a Career and Technical Education institution focused on culinary arts. He currently teaches AP Human Geography to ninth graders in an inclusive classroom that supports students with disabilities and English Language Learners. Johnson integrates culinary themes into his lessons and encourages students to explore their backgrounds through culinary history, geography, and migration. His classroom is open to students before school, during lunch, and after school. In the 2024-25 academic year, he advised the school’s first Horror Film Club, allowing students to lead weekly movie screenings.
Johnson’s dedication extends beyond his classroom. He completed a yearlong educational sabbatical at Rutgers University from 2019-2020 to study African American History. This experience helped him develop equity-centered projects in AP Human Geography and AP African American Studies, while also broadening curriculum perspectives in Global History and American History to include African American, Latinx, LGBTQ, and non-Western viewpoints. Johnson mentors new teachers and leads professional development sessions on Universal Design for Learning. He is also part of his school’s leadership team.
The advisory council recognized four other finalists: Colleen Hall (Brighton High School), Nicole Greene (Scarsdale Middle School), Betty Haynes (Cleveland Hill Middle School), and Lisa Egan (Cross Hill Academy).
The selection process for Teacher of the Year involves four rounds: application review, response question review, site visits, and interviews. The council responsible for this process consists mainly of former awardees who volunteer to support the program.
The New York State Teacher of the Year Program is sponsored by several organizations including NYSUT; UFT; NYSPTA; NYSASCD; NYSSBA; SAANYS; NYSATE; and NYACTE. It operates alongside the National Teacher of the Year Program run by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). More information about the program can be found on NYSED’s Teacher of the Year website.
