Two schools in southwestern Connecticut received top honors Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Education.

Thomas Jefferson Magnet School in Norwalk and Amity Regional High School in Woodbridge won Blue Ribbon Awards for being among the best schools in the nation.

The Blue Ribbon Award received by Thomas Jefferson Magnet School recognizes its exemplary work closing the achievement gap. Thomas Jefferson Magnet is the largest elementary school in Norwalk, with more than 620 students.

John Reynolds has been the principal at Thomas Jefferson Magnet for 11 years. He says they have made changes to how students learn over the years. Reynolds says he is proud of the adults whose hard work helped accomplished this achievement.

All schools will be honored officially this November in Washington, D.C.