Seven Bay Area schools are among 12 in California recognized as 2018 National Blue Ribbon Schools by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

The schools are among the state’s highest-performing, as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. They are:

Joaquin Miller Middle School, San Jose

Lawson Middle School, Cupertino

Argonaut Elementary, Saratoga

Redwood Middle School, Saratoga

North Star Academy (grades 3-8), Redwood City

John Gomes Elementary, Fremont

William Hopkins Junior High, Fremont

All are public schools.

“We recognize and honor your important work in preparing students for successful careers and meaningful lives,” U.S. Education Secretary DeVos said in a video message to the 349 schools named this year. “Congratulations on your students’ accomplishments and for your extraordinary commitment to meeting their unique needs.”

The awards are given out annually to public and private schools across the nation, U.S. territories, on Native tribe reservations and military bases, in recognition of overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

In Fremont, John Gomes Elementary School and William Hopkins Junior High School earned the honor this year.

“This is an amazing accomplishment for students and staff at both Gomes Elementary and Hopkins Junior High,” Fremont Unified School District Superintendent Kim Wallace said in a statement.

“I commend the administration, teachers and students for all their work in building something our district and community can be so proud of.”

It is the second time both schools have received the award, with Gomes previously being named in 1987 and Hopkins in 2012, according to the district. Overall, the district has been recognized 14 times between 1986 and this year.

In Saratoga, Argonaut Elementary and Redwood Middle schools were also recognized for having high overall achievement rankings.

“Given how few schools receive this prestigious award annually, the fact that both Argonaut and Redwood earned this distinction is a matter of great pride for our whole community,” Saratoga Union School District Superintendent Nancy Johnson said in a statement.

All seven of the Bay Area schools were awarded for overall achievement, for having students that rank in the top 15 percent of achievement in English and mathematics in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Education website.

Of the five other California schools, two are in San Diego and one each in San Luis Obispo, Riverside and Placentia (Orange County).