The 12 California schools named as National Blue Ribbon Schools this year include seven from the Bay Area.
The recognition is based on a school's overall performance or progress in closing achievement gaps.
Bay Area schools honored for 2018 are: Argonaut Elementary and Redwood Middle schools in Saratoga; John Gomes Elementary and William Hopkins Junior High schools in Fremont; Joaquin Miller Middle School in San Jose; North Star Academy in Redwood City and Lawson Middle School in Cupertino.
"Congratulations to all the schools on this list that are helping students achieve their dreams and to the leaders dedicated to and invested in finding ways to close the achievement gap," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said.
The schools will be honored at a November awards ceremony with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in Washington D.C.
The schools are honored in one of two performance categories. The exemplary high performing schools are among their state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
The exemplary achievement gap-closing schools are among their state's highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school's subgroups and all students over the past five years.
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The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is in its 36th year, and has recognized more than 8,800 schools.
