By Renee Schiavone

More than two dozen private and public schools from across California have been named among 2016’s National Blue Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday.

In total, 33 institutions from the state were selected for the honor this year. Nationwide, 329 public and private elementary, middle and high schools were selected based on overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps, the Department of Education said.

Of the 329 schools selected, 279 are public and 50 are private. In California, four of the 33 winners are private schools.

Source: 33 California Schools Selected As National Blue Ribbon Winners