Eight public schools in Missouri have been honored as 2015 Blue Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday.

The national award honors schools for high levels of academic achievement or significant progress in closing gaps in achievement among disadvantaged and minority students.

Missouri's Blue Ribbon Schools are:

• Blanchard Elementary, Cape Girardeau 63 School District
• Ralph M. Captain Elementary, Clayton School District
• Ladue Middle School, Ladue School District
• Truman Middle School, Lindbergh Schools
• New Haven High School, New Haven School District
• McKelvey Elementary, Parkway C-2 School District
• West Middle School, Parkway C-2 School District
• Kennard Classical Junior Academy, St. Louis City School District

“Congratulations to the students, teacher, school staff and their communities for this tremendous accomplishment,” said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “These schools model the hard work taking place in our public schools across the state in preparing students with the necessary skills for success now and after graduation.”

Earlier this year these eight schools were honored as Missouri Gold Star Schools, a program conducted by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“The students and staff at Barbara Blanchard Elementary are very grateful for the honor of being named a Blue Ribbon School,” said Principal Barbara Kohlfeld. “We deeply appreciate the recognition for our work.”

New Haven High School Principal Josh Hoener added: “Student accountability accompanied with high expectations of the community and staff encourages our students to achieve at high levels. We are proud to represent the State of Missouri and the many great Missouri schools at the 2015 National Blue Ribbon Ceremony.”

More than 7,500 schools across the country have been honored as Blue Ribbon Schools since the program was founded in 1982. The state and national programs are part of a larger effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about best school-leadership and teaching practices.

The winners will be recognized in November at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

College and career readiness is a primary goal of the state's Top 10 by 20 initiative, which calls for Missouri to rank among the top 10 performing states nationally in education by the year 2020.