Education leaders have picked their top candidates for Indiana’s 2026 Teacher of the Year and one hails from an Indianapolis area school.
The annual award is the state’s top honor for teachers and aims to recognize current educators who are excelling in their field while encouraging others to join the profession.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said the finalists were chosen out of the more than 65,000 teachers across the state.
“Each and every day, they are creating real impact for students, whether that’s through their use of evidence-based instructional strategies, their commitment to lifelong learning, their mentorship of fellow colleagues, or the partnerships they have built throughout their community,” Jenner said in a news release.
Here are the top three finalists:
Martin Briggs, a fourth grade teacher at F.W. Crichfield Elementary School at La Porte Community School Corp.
Martin Briggs has been teaching for 47 years and has been a leader at his school by heading teacher workshops in math and science, as well as presenting at state and national conventions.
Briggs believes in ensuring that all students reach their highest academic potential by using best practices with data-driven instruction, the news release said.
He also played a key role in his school’s implementation of the new ILEARN checkpoint testing for the 2024-25 school year.
L.A. High, an eighth grade math teacher at Schmucker Middle School in the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp.
L.A. High had the highest growth scores for eight grade math in his school district for growth seen from the 2024 fall ILEARN checkpoint to the 2025 spring summative ILEARN test.
He also sponsors the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club, is an active member of the school safety team trained in Crisis Prevention Intervention and has been chosen to present at professional development sessions for new middle school teachers, according to the news release.
He has also been a lead organizer in fundraising for Riley Hospital for Children, and during this past school year, he surpassed a total of $70,000 raised during his time in the role.
Megan Johnson, a fourth grade teacher at Central Elementary School in Plainfield Community School Corp.
Megan Johnson has been teaching for 18 years and is known for her joyful, relationship-centered approach to learning, the news release said.
Since 2022, she has led efforts in her building to implement evidence-based reading practices that align with the latest research around the science of reading.
She has also completed 80 hours of professional development on the science of reading, earning the state’s early literacy endorsement, now required for early-grade teachers.
School districts are encouraged to nominate their local teacher of the year and finalists are selected by a committee made up of former teacher of the year recipients, state department staff, educational organization leaders, business and community leaders and representatives from higher education.
The winner will be announced in October.
Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Here are the Top 3 finalists for Indiana’s Teacher of the year 2026 award
Reporting by Caroline Beck, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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