Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday named Tara Goodhue, a science teacher at Lowell High School, as the 2026 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.
Goodhue is Lowell Public School’s first teacher to win the annual award since its creation in 1960.
“I am incredibly humbled and overwhelmed by this,” Goodhue said. “I really attribute this honor to the fact that I teach the best students in the state.”
The Teacher of the Year Award is given to educators who have created a positive learning environment, built strong relationships with students and the district community and provides high quality instruction, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Goodhue was chosen from 200 nominees across the state and automatically becomes the state’s candidate for the National Teacher of the Year Award.
She said she credits her win to her students’ help during the application process.
“My students helped me plan the lesson that we used for the video part of the application, and they cheered me on 100%,” she told GBH News.
Goodhue said she learned she had been selected for the award this summer but couldn’t talk about it with her students until it was announced during an assembly on Tuesday.
“I told them they were the best chemistry class in the school and to be ready to come to this presentation and a reception afterward, and they were just thrilled,” she said. “I think that they are sharing in the joy and they realize that they were a part of this and they’re really proud of themselves as well as just being happy for me.”
Pedro Martinez, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said Goodhue shows her students how their observations can contribute to scientific understanding.
“She has helped students advocate for recycling, and she has worked with them on citizen science projects that benefit the community,” Martinez said in a statement. “Some of her students have gone on to major in environmental studies.”
Healey said educators like Goodhue bring their subjects to life for students, helping them want to learn more about the world around them.
The announcement also cited her education partnerships with groups like the Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust, Mass Audubon and Harvard Forest.
Goodhue said her message to students and educators is to find something they are passionate about and to share it with others.
“When you share something you love, it transforms your teaching, it transforms your life and you’re just able to connect with people on deeper levels,” she said.
The award comes with a $10,000 prize, which will fund upcoming projects for Lowell High School’s science department.
