National Principals Association Launches as Unified National Home for PreK–12 School Leaders; 5 State Associations Align as Founding Partners

Today, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) officially becomes the National Principals Association, expanding its mission to serve school leaders across the full PreK-12 continuum under one national organization. Built on more than a century of leadership as NASSP, the National Principals Association will continue advancing school leadership through advocacy, professional learning, peer networks, and nationally recognized student programs while broadening its reach to represent the full PreK-12 profession.

For decades, principals have been organized largely by grade, band even though students move through one continuous educational journey from pre-K through 12th grade. The National Principals Association was created to reflect that reality, strengthen collective influence in policy and advocacy, and give principals and assistant principals a national professional home that better matches how they actually lead today.

"School leadership has become too complex and too interconnected to keep supporting principals in separate grade-band silos," said Ronn Nozoe, CEO of the National Principals Association. "From pre-K through 12th grade, principals are navigating shared challenges and shaping one student journey, and they deserve one national organization with the strength to advocate for them and the clarity to support them every day."

At launch, five statewide principal associations-Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin-have affiliated with the National Principals Association. The affiliation enables elementary members of these five associations to become founding members of the National Principals Association. The move signals early momentum behind this unified model and reflects a growing belief that school leaders are stronger when supported and represented by one coherent national voice spanning the full PreK-12 continuum.

"These five state partnerships matter because they show that principals in very different contexts are arriving at the same conclusion: The profession is stronger when it stands together," said Evelyn Edney, president of the National Principals Association and the principal of the Early College School at Delaware State University in Dover, DE. "By aligning from day one, these associations are helping build a more connected, more influential future for school leadership."

By connecting leaders across grade levels, the National Principals Association reflects the full student journey and ensures school leaders are supported, represented, and equipped to lead. Recognizing that strong school leadership shapes student outcomes, the organization also advances student leadership development through nationally recognized programs, including the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and the National Association of Student Councils. These programs engage more than 16,000 school leaders, 30,000 advisers, and 1 million students nationwide.

About the National Principals Association

The National Principals Association is the national professional home for principals and assistant principals across the PreK-12 continuum and the unified voice of the profession. Building on more than a century of leadership as the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the organization advances school leadership through advocacy, professional learning, and peer networks. The association also supports student leadership development through nationally recognized programs, including the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and the National Association of Student Councils, engaging more than 16,000 school leaders, 30,000 advisers, and 1 million students nationwide.