Brookfield East principal honored as National Principal of the Year

Bridget Fogarty, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read
Andrew Farley (middle) accepts the award from the National Association of Secondary School Principals on Oct. 20 at a celebration in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Farley (middle) accepts the award from the National Association of Secondary School Principals on Oct. 20 at a celebration in Washington, D.C.

Andrew Farley just got his flowers on the national stage.

The Brookfield East High School principal has been named the 2024 National Principal of the Year.

Farley, himself a graduate of Brookfield East High School, accepted the award from the National Association of Secondary School Principals Oct. 20 at a celebration in Washington, D.C.

Farley said he is "deeply humbled and honored" to be recognized as the top principal in the nation.

"The awards ceremony Friday night was a wonderful bookend to a larger week of collaborating with amazing school leaders from across the country," Farley said in an email to the Journal Sentinel. "Schools are amazing places for students to learn and grow every day and I am excited to represent Brookfield East High School and the School District of Elmbrook in our dedication to academic and human excellence for every student."

Farley was named Wisconsin 2023 Principal of the Year earlier this year, and he was one of three finalists for the national award.

The annual award recognizes outstanding middle and high school principals’ contributions to their schools, staff, students and the profession.

Farley was selected from a pool of representatives from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools and the Department of Defense Education Activity.

Farley is the second principal of Wisconsin to receive the award. Janie Hill Hatton, who was the principal of Milwaukee Trade and Technical School, was the first National Principal of the Year from Wisconsin in 1993.

In Farley’s decade as principal, Brookfield East has been ranked as Wisconsin’s No. 1 high school for four years and recognized as a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

Jill Underly, the Wisconsin state schools superintendent, congratulated Farley.

“What an incredible honor for Principal Farley to be recognized at the national level for the leadership his students and staff see every day in his attention to school culture, student mental health and wellness, and academic excellence,” Underly said in a statement.

Farley began his career at his alma mater teaching social studies and coaching basketball. After nine years, he left East and worked one year as the administrative principal at Menomonee Falls High School. In 2013, he came back home to Brookfield East to serve as the principal.

“Andy works tirelessly to engage students in their learning and, more broadly, in their school community,” the School District of Elmbrook superintendent Mark Hansen said in a statement. “He communicates high expectations of students and staff in a personal and supportive way that consistently yields tremendous results.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Farley is not the first Wisconsin principal to win the national award.

Contact Bridget at bfogarty@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Andrew Farley of Brookfield East named National Principal of the Year