Pierre Orbe (MAT ’04) Named New York’s 2025 Principal of the Year

The NYU Steinhardt alum has helmed DeWitt Clinton High School since 2017.

The School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS) selected Pierre Orbe (MAT ’04, Science Education) as the 2025 New York State High School Principal of the Year. This award is given annually to a high school principal who has set the pace, character, and quality of education for students in their school.

A first-generation American born to Ecuadorian parents, Orbe has been principal at the DeWitt Clinton High School (DWCHS) in the Bronx since 2017, during which time the school’s graduation rate rose from 46 percent to 97 percent in 2023, with more than 90 percent of students earning college credits.

Students crowd around Pierre Orbe and pose for the photo — *Orbe with DWCHS students.*

Orbe originally planned on becoming a doctor; his older brother is autistic, and he wanted to work with people on the spectrum. After Orbe completed his undergraduate degree in neurobiology from Drew University, his father suggested he gain his teaching credentials to help him save for medical school.

“I ended up taking a course at NYU Steinhardt on pedagogical theory in the sciences, and I enjoyed the practical way we learned about how to get students excited and engaged,” says Orbe. “I feel like educators need to realize that part of their role is activating the minds of their students to want to learn what they’re teaching.”

Orbe took a detour and began working on his MAT in Transformational Teaching in Middle and High School with a Science Education concentration from NYU Steinhardt instead, with the help of a fellowship from Goldman Sachs.

Orbe plays video games with students — *Orbe with students in the video game club.*

“During my master’s degree, I was teaching at Talent Unlimited High School on the Upper East Side,” says Orbe. “When it came time to apply to med school, my mentor principal at the time told me ‘Your students love you. You could go off and become a doctor, but what you’re doing here is just as meaningful.’”

She told Orbe that, if he would stay on as a teacher and help make the school reach its potential, she would put him on the professional development committee and have him train other teachers in the way he was teaching. Under her, he also learned a lot of the administrative tasks, such as budgeting and personnel management.

Soon, he became the assistant principal at Talent Unlimited, a position he held for more than a decade. When it came time for him to become a principal, he asked the superintendent to put him in the most troubled school he had available.

“I wanted to prove to myself and the people who had invested so much time and money in me that I could make a difference,” says Orbe, who is currently completing his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Russell Sage College.

Orbe and two other staff members serve food from large dishes — *DWCHS staff serves students at potlucks prior to holidays, leaving them with full hearts and stomachs.*

At DWCHS, he sat down with different constituents across the school—students, parents, alumni, and teachers and staff—to learn about their needs and wants. “Not all of the ideas should come from me,” says Orbe. “Instead, it’s my job to use my expertise to make their good ideas happen.”

Much of what he heard translated to students wanting more opportunities to access the workforce and ensure more success in approaching colleges. Under Orbe’s leadership, the school’s eight pathway programs have been steadily working toward Career and Technical Education (CTE) certification, demonstrating a commitment to both academic excellence and practical skill-building.

“CCI is what we promise our students: College credits, Certifications for industry, and Internships for work-based learning,” says Orbe. “This is what we build all our offerings from. Our students are now not only graduating at a much higher rate, but they’re leaving as certified nursing assistants, full-stack coders, licensed real estate agents, and more.”

For Orbe, this award signifies all the work that has gone into cultivating DWCHS from what was once named one of the most dangerous schools in New York City to a place of success for students and teachers alike.

Three people in tracksuits stand on a basketball courte — *Orbe and staff at a DWCHS basketball game.*

“As I continue to advance in my leadership journey, I carry NYU Steinhardt with me—its community, its rigor, and its mission to cultivate change-makers in education,” says Orbe.

“This prestigious recognition is a testament to Pierre’s exceptional leadership, dedication, and unwavering commitment to fostering an environment where students and educators thrive,” says Jack H. Knott, Gale and Ira Drukier Dean at Steinhardt. “I know that his achievements are an inspiration to current and future students, reminding us all of the profound impact one individual can have on shaping the field of education.”

Orbe and his fellow 2025 award winners will be recognized at SAANYS' annual awards celebration on May 2 in Albany, New York. With his win, he will also represent New York State in the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ (NASSP) annual Principal of the Year competition among all state finalists.