BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana House of Representatives has commended Denham Springs Junior High School Principal Justin Wax for being named the 2026 Louisiana Principal of the Year.
House Resolution 107, authored by Rep. Roger Wilder, recognizes Wax for his leadership and student advocacy in his fourth year as principal of Denham Springs Junior High. Under his leadership, the school was named a 2024 Top Gains Honoree and featured in U.S. News and World Report's Best Middle Schools in 2024 and 2025.
The resolution highlights Wax's efforts to address teen vaping by offering educational alternatives to suspension and installing campus vape-detection technology. Wax also testified before the House Committee on Judiciary in support of raising the minimum age to purchase vaping products.
Wax has pioneered an aquaponics lab at the school that gives students hands-on opportunities to conserve endangered Louisiana plant species and learn sustainable produce cultivation. He has also partnered with community leaders to eliminate student fees for economically disadvantaged students and supports the school's growing English learner population.
Wax earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in leadership development from LSU and a master of Education in Educational Leadership from Southeastern Louisiana University. He is a member of the Louisiana Association of Principals and the vice president of the Livingston Parish Principals Association, and he previously served for 4 years as president of Mighty Moms, a nonprofit that supports students facing food insecurity.
Wax is a church deacon and a married father of three.
