Teachers of the Year

Spotlighting teaching excellence and exemplary professionalism in public education.

The Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year (TOY) Program is the largest of its kind in the state and part of the oldest and most prestigious honors competition in U.S. for public school teachers.

The teachers selected as Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year are educators who have shown exemplary dedication, compelling classroom practices, positive accomplishments and professional commitment. They serve as standard-bearers for the teaching profession and their 72,000 classroom colleagues countywide.

TOY 2024-2025 TIMELINE

Monday, April 14, 2025	TOY Application VIRTUAL Workshop
Thursday, May 1, 2025	TOY Application VIRTUAL Workshop
Sunday, June 1, 2025 by 11:59pm	DEADLINE to submit 2025-2026 California Teachers of the Year Application to LACOE
June 3-8, 2025	Selection Committee #1 reviews written application materials
June 16, 2025	25 semifinalists are selected and notified of interview schedule
June 23 & 24, 2025	Selection Committee #2 conducts interviews with semifinalists
July 9, 2025	Deadline for LACOE to submit the TOY Applications to the State
Friday, September 19, 2025	L.A County TOY Awards Luncheon and Announcement

2025 CALIFORNIA TEACHERS OF THE YEAR FROM LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Matthew Winheim

Palmdale School District
National Nominee

Nicholas Westfall

Los Angeles Unified School District

Arby Jean Wolkov

Los Angeles Unified School District

TOY Application
Application Instructions
Materials & Forms Checklist
Award Banquet
Sponsors

The 2025-2026 LA County Teacher of the Year Application is in 2 parts: Online Form & Written portion.

APPLY TO TEACHER OF THE YEAR

ONLINE FORM

The instructions for the writing portion of the Application can be found in the
TOY Application Instructions.

The entire application, BOTH Online Form & Written portion, are due on or before

Sunday, June 1, 2025, 11:59PM.
Absolutely no late applications will be accepted!

Opt-out

District Teachers of the Year who want to opt out of the county-level competition and still be honored at the awards luncheon may submit an opt-out application [link to app below]. Complete and submit to Naime Laskar by Friday, June 20, 2025.

OPT OUT

Apply for the 2025-2026
Teacher of the Year Program

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

To be eligible for the California TOY Program, applicants must be:

Fully credentialed teachers currently employed to teach any pre-kindergarten through grade twelve.
Employed full-time in LA County public schools.
Applicants may be assigned some administrative responsibilities but for whom teaching students is the primary responsibility.
Teachers who are available to fulfill ambassadorial duties during the year of service and be supported by their employer.
Teachers who have been in the classroom for more than eight years at the time of the application submission.

Applicants must:

Have been named as a finalist in their District competition.
Have demonstrated leadership and innovation in and outside of the classroom walls that embodies lifelong learning.
Have expressed themselves in an engaging and articulate way.

Applicants to the county program may be selected as a California Teacher of the Year. Because of that possibility, all applicants should be prepared to fulfill the responsibilities of representing the teaching profession in a variety of settings and assisting their teaching colleagues in a variety of ways. Teachers selected as state winners may be called away from their classroom 30 or more instructional days during their title year.

Teacher of the Year candidates must complete and submit the entire application on or before
Sunday, June 1, 2025 by 11:59PM

Absolutely no late applications will be accepted!

TOY Application Materials & Forms Checklist

Teacher of the Year candidates must complete a 2 part Application. Part 1 of the application is an online form. Part 2 of the application is the written component, which will need to be completed on a separate Microsoft Word document (.doc file) and emailed to Naime Laskar.

Please review the Program Information & Application Instructions for complete details.

Applicants are encouraged to complete their application in a manner in which the content:

Puts the reader in the classroom and allows the reader to easily visualize the classroom setting and the teacher as the instructional leader, leaving the reader wanting to know more through providing ample classroom examples.

Conveys depth of content knowledge and how to deliver it creatively and in a differentiated fashion to engage students and influence student learning as reflected in their measurable achievements.

Reflects the teacher's personal journey and shows the teacher's influence beyond the classroom and into their school community.

Maintains a student-centered perspective as the applicant weaves in numerous examples of student engagement.

Inspires through their commitment as a lifelong learner who models dedication to continued learning.

Focuses on building relationships that transform and empower students, parents, and community.

Reflects the teacher's dedication to the belief that all children can achieve.

Part 1

Application Information (Online form)

School Information (Online form)

District Information (Online form)

Part 2: Written – Completed on separate Microsoft Word (.doc)

Cover Page (Not to exceed one pages.)

Introductory Letter (Not to exceed 750 words.)

Professional Biography (Not to exceed 750 words.)

Professional Resume (Not to exceed two pages.)

Each Essay is NOT TO EXCEED 750 WORDS

Essay 1 – Philosophy of Teaching
Essay 2 – School Culture
Essay 3 – School Community Involvement
Essay 4 – Education Issues and Trends
Essay 5 – State Superintendent of Public Instruction's Initiatives
Select ONLY 1 or 2 of the initiatives
Essay 6 – National Teacher of the Year

Letter of Recommendation 1 (Not to exceed one page.)

Letter of Recommendation 2 (Not to exceed one page.)

Letter of Recommendation 3 (Not to exceed one page.)

Headshot (on a separate page)

Introductory Video (Not to exceed 3 minutes.)

All district-level Teachers of the Year are invited to attend the awards luncheon. The sixteen (16) winners of the Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year competition will be publicly announced at the luncheon. Family members, friends, district representatives and news media are all invited.

The Banquet will be held at the Hilton Universal City on Friday, September 19, 2025.
555 Universal Hollywood Dr, Universal City, CA 91608

2024 Banquet Photos | 2023 Banquet Photos | 2022 Banquet Photos

2024 TOY Program Booklet | 2023 TOY Program Booklet | 2022 TOY Program Booklet

Flyer showing Teachers of the Year sponsors

The Los Angeles County Teachers of the Year program would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. We would like to thank the following sponsors for their financial support and donations.

LACOE Signature Fund: