TASA, which facilitates the official State of Texas Teacher of the Year program, has named Texas’ top teachers for 2026.
Vickiela Wright, a fifth-grade English language arts teacher at McWhirter Elementary School in Clear Creek ISD, was named the 2026 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. Timothy Fails, a geography teacher at Flower Mound 9th Grade Campus (FM9) in Lewisville ISD, was named the 2026 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year.
Wright was chosen to represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition, making her official title 2026 Texas Teacher of the Year.
The announcements were made during an awards ceremony in Round Rock, Texas, October 17. (Photos will be uploaded here once available: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCxDFv.) Both state-level winners will receive a cash award and a commemorative trophy. Both will also receive a full scholarship toward their next level of education, either a master’s or a doctorate, courtesy of program sponsor Abilene Christian University, should they choose to continue their education.
Also honored during the luncheon were all 40 Regional Teachers of the Year and the six finalists for Texas Teacher of the Year: Taylor Adame, Waco High School, Waco ISD; Miryam Gonzalez, Sarah King Elementary School, San Antonio ISD; Pooja Mulgaonker, Kiker Elementary School, Austin ISD; and Carlos Perez, Judith Resnik Middle School, Southwest ISD.
“I congratulate Vickiela and Timothy on this achievement. Texas Teacher of the Year is the highest honor the State of Texas bestows upon its teachers,” said Kevin Brown, executive director of TASA, which has facilitated the program since 2011. “They have distinguished themselves among thousands of outstanding, dedicated teachers across our state and nation have who have answered the call to serve others.”
2026 Texas Teacher of the Year
Vickiela Wright, Margaret S. McWhirter Elementary School, Clear Creek ISD
Vickiela Wright is a National Board-Certified educator with 14 years of experience across multiple grade levels. Wright serves as a fifth-grade English language arts teacher, grade level instructional coach, and team lead at Clear Creek ISD’s McWhirter School in Webster, Texas. In these roles, she is a link between administration and grade-level teams, collaborating to enhance instructional practices and improve student achievement.
Inspired by teachers and her great-grandmother who believed in her potential, Wright says she is devoted to fostering supportive, empowering environments for students and educators alike. Beyond the classroom, she leads extracurricular initiatives such as mentoring, student council, and volunteers with her sorority and Clear Creek Education Foundation.
She holds a BA in Education and a Master of Education in Reading from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, and an Education Specialist certificate in Educational Leadership from Concordia University Chicago.
2026 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year
Timothy Fails, Flower Mound 9th Grade Campus, Lewisville ISD
Timothy Fails has 18 years of experience in the classroom, currently teaching geography at Flower Mound 9th Grade Campus (FM9) in Lewisville ISD. He was part of the inaugural staff that transitioned from Flower Mound High School to FM9 in 2014 and has served as the social studies department chair since then. Fails says that understanding the relationship between people and the planet is essential, and his classroom serves as a space to “shrink the world” for 90 minutes a day.
Outside the classroom, Fails has taken on many roles from assistant tennis coach, student council sponsor, cricket club sponsor, to even a brief stint as the ping pong club sponsor. He says that his time as “Coach Fails” on the tennis courts remains one of the highlights of his career, having allowed him to form lifelong relationships with players, their families, and fellow coaches.
Fails is a graduate of Krum High School and the University of North Texas, where he became the first in his family to earn a college degree. In 2007, he earned a BA in social sciences and holds a Social Studies 8-12 teaching certificate.
Texas Teacher of the Year Program
To achieve recognition as Texas Elementary or Secondary Teacher of the Year, a teacher must first be chosen as a campus and district teacher of the year, then a regional honoree. From the group of 40 regional teachers of the year, six finalists are chosen and interviewed by an independent panel of judges composed of representatives of education associations, community and business leaders, a member of the State Board for Educator Certification, a member of the State Board of Education, and prior Texas Teachers of the Year.
The state’s top elementary and secondary teachers are selected from these six finalists, and the Texas nominee for National Teacher of the Year is chosen from the top two winners. In 2015, Texas Teacher of the Year Shanna Peeples of Amarillo ISD was the second Texas teacher to be named the National Teacher of the Year.
The Texas Teacher of the Year program has honored excellence in classroom education since 1969 and continues to annually recognize and reward teachers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and excellence in teaching.
The program operates with financial support and in-kind contributions from the following:
Premier Sponsors
H-E-B
TASA
Gold Sponsors
Abilene Christian University
Imagine Learning
Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP)
Texas AFT
Silver Sponsors
Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE)
Texas Association of School Boards (TASB)
Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA)
Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA)
Texas PTA
Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA)
Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA)
