The National Association of Secondary School Principals has announced that it will allow elementary school principals to join its association for the first time.

Founded in 1916 as a member organization for middle and high school principals, NASSP will also change its name to the National Principals Association to reflect its broader membership base. As the NPA, the association said it will continue to deliver high-impact professional development, leadership resources, and federal and state policy advocacy.

In a March 16 news release, the association said the change was motivated by member demand for a “stronger, unified voice across grade levels.”

“This evolution reflects the realities of today’s education landscape,” said Ronn Nozoe, CEO of NASSP, in the news release. “This member-led decision was rooted in listening to school leaders who asked for a stronger, more unified voice across grade levels. Principals across every grade level face increasingly complex responsibilities — from academic recovery and staffing shortages to student mental health and family engagement. By expanding our community to include all PreK–12 principals, we are strengthening that collective voice and building a stronger support network for school leaders across the country.”

ACSA and NASSP maintain a formal affiliate relationship in which ACSA serves as the representative body for NASSP within California, with ACSA’s Middle Grades and Secondary Education Councils functioning as the official state affiliate.

This partnership ensures that California school leaders have a meaningful voice at the national level through shared advocacy efforts, including collaborative lobbying in Washington, D.C., on critical issues such as IDEA funding and principal pipeline development.

ACSA members actively participate in NASSP’s leadership and governance structures, serving in roles such as the NASSP State Coordinator for California and on the NASSP Board, while also contributing to joint professional development initiatives — including presenting at NASSP conferences and engaging in NASSP Region 7 regional conferences — to advance networking and training opportunities for school administrators across the state.

ACSA is also affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Founded in 1921, NAESP serves elementary and middle-level principals and other education leaders in the United States, Canada, and overseas.

ACSA members have a choice to join any national affiliate organization. The three councils that represent ACSA members at all three levels have maintained their bylaws to align with our affiliation to a national organization.

In an interview with Education Week, Nozoe said the two associations would continue to partner on advocacy, though other programming remains to be determined.

Nozoe said NASSP was also making changes internally to support elementary leaders.

“With the renaming and rebranding of our association, we’re not just adding elementary on,” he said in the article published March 17. “On the board, we will have equitable representation across every level. It also means reorganizing our staff to make sure that we’re serving members at each grade level. Our program support is built on the guidance and advice of our members, focus groups, interviews, surveys. So, we are reaching out to elementary leaders to find out their priorities.”

NASSP also runs the National Principal of the Year and National Assistant Principal of the Year programs, in addition to administering the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils.

NASSP is working with state executives and representatives from each state to shape how their work will be inclusive of all levels in the PK/TK through 12 continuum. Bill Sanderson, director of Leadership Academies, will represent ACSA at the NASSP/NPA state executives meeting in May, and a representative from each of the three councils will attend the NASSP/NPA Summit in July to represent California to ensure that the voices of our leaders are heard during this future forward transition.

The new brand identity and updated website is expected to be rolled out in the coming months, according to the news release.