Congratulations to the students, teachers, parents and everyone else who had a hand in the state’s recognition of Nottoway, Carrsville and Windsor elementary schools for academic excellence.

It shows that all parties have worked hard to meet tougher education standards established by the state and federal governments.

The announcement from Gov. Bob McDonnell and the state Board of Education came on Thursday.

Nottoway Elementary was the only school in Southampton County to receive a 2011 Board of Education Competence to Excellence Award. Nottoway did so for meeting all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and making progress toward the goals of the governor and the board.

Carrsville and Windsor elementary schools earned the 2011 Board of Education Excellence Award, the second-tier honor in the Virginia Index of Performance program. Both schools have met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and have made significant progress toward increased student achievement.

A total of 728 schools and nine school districts were honored. Although it’s great to hear that three Western Tidewater schools were recognized, it’s also time for the other schools in the area to buckle down and get their names on next year’s list of honorees.