The U.S. Department of Education recognized two private schools in Anne Arundel County — St. John the Evangelist School in Severna Park and St. Mary’s Elementary School in Annapolis — as some of the best in the country Monday.

National Blue Ribbon Schools is the U.S. Department of Education’s program honoring high-performing schools and those closing achievement gaps. A total of 356 schools across the country received the award.

“We learned about the award yesterday, and our reaction is pure delight and pride,” said Megan Back, principal of St. Mary’s Elementary School.

St. Mary’s won the recognition once before, in 2013. The school’s academic excellence and caring teachers are what set it apart, Back said. St. John the Evangelist School also won once before, in 2008.

“We have an amazing school culture, and within that culture, we’ve got a balance between being large enough to offer a wide variety of classes and resources to meet our learners, but small enough to be really intentional,” said Glenna Blessing, principal of St. John. “It truly is an incredible honor to have this recognition.”

Ten Maryland schools were recognized. Five are in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, two are Montgomery County public schools, and one each is from Baltimore County Public Schools, Howard County Public Schools, and the Archdiocese of Washington.