Three Kendall area schools have been honored with the prestigious “2009 National Blue Ribbon,” one of the most coveted U.S. educational awards.

Calusa Elementary School and Herbert A. Ammons Middle School were honored among the top 10 percent in Florida with at least 40 of its enrollment from disadvantaged backgrounds. Leewood K-8 Center was among the top 10 percent in Florida with less than 40 percent from the disadvantaged status.

A resolution recognizing the achievement was approved on Oct. 14 by the Miami-Dade School Board, proposed by Ana Rivas Logan, District Seven member.

“I congratulate the teachers, students and parents from all the schools for a well-deserved honor,” Rivas Logan said. In November, each school will receive a plaque and flag to represent their “Blue Ribbon” status during a presentation ceremony in Washington, DC.

Only 314 public and private schools achieved the ranking out of more than 120,000 nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announcement.

The program honors schools that are “academically superior or have made significant progress in closing the achievement gap among minority or disadvantaged students.”

Schools are selected through one or two criteria: (1) students achieving within the top 10 percent of their state on state tests; (2) schools with at least 40 percent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds demonstrating great gains in state or national tests.

More than 6,150 schools have been recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools since the program began in 1982, with only nine in Miami-Dade schools honored out of 88 recognized nationally since 2003.

Four other Kendall area schools recognized in past years are Sunset and Kendale elementary schools, both in 1997; Arvida Middle School, 1998, and Frank C. Martin Elementary School, 2004. Other area schools winning the honor were Southwood Junior High, 1985; Pinecrest Elementary, 1986, and Miami Palmetto Senior High, 1989.

“Blue Ribbon Schools are models of improved student achievement from which others can take inspiration,” said Arne Duncan, Secretary of the DOE, which annually determines schools in which students attain and maintain high academic goals.

“There are no one-size-fits-all approaches, but these schools provide ideas and strategies that other schools may be able to adapt to their own unique needs,” the statement added.

Nominations for public school honors are made by through the Florida State Department of Education, based on the number of schools and students in each state. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates 50 private schools.