Forsyth County Schools Names 2026 District Teacher of the Year Winner

Forsyth County Schools crowned its 2026 District Teacher of the Year on March 13 at the Forsyth Conference Center, capping a months-long selection process that began last fall and drew competitors from every school in the district.

The Celebration of Excellence, held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., served a dual purpose: formally recognizing school-level Teachers of the Year from across Forsyth County while unveiling the single district-wide honoree who will now represent FCS in the Georgia Teacher of the Year program. All school-level winners were part of the program, making the luncheon one of the district's broadest annual tributes to classroom educators.

The road to March 13 stretched back to October 13, 2025, when school-level applications closed under Round One of the district's 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year guidelines. From that pool, evaluators identified five finalists based on their application materials and observation video scores. Superintendent Mitch Young and district leadership personally delivered the finalist notifications through surprise school visits, a tradition that turns the announcement itself into a campus event.

The five finalists then faced the most demanding phase of the competition on February 24, when each sat before a 45-minute panel that included school leadership, district leadership, community members, and former teachers of the year. Alongside the interview, every finalist prepared a five-minute speech on an assigned topic. The district winner was ultimately determined by the highest cumulative score across four components: the original application, the observation video, the speech, and the panel interview.

Results were held under strict confidentiality until the moment of announcement at the Forsyth Conference Center, per district guidelines that explicitly prohibit any disclosure before the Celebration of Excellence program.

The selected 2026 FCS Teacher of the Year began their official term of service on March 13, the same day the honor was announced, and is eligible to advance to the state-level Georgia Teacher of the Year competition.