Two O'ahu elementary schools and a middle school — Moanalua Elementary, Waikiki Elementary and Prince David Kawananakoa Middle — have been named Hawai'i Blue Ribbon Schools for 2007 and will represent Hawai'i in the national program.

The three schools were chosen from among 23 schools on O'ahu and the Big Island and honored at the Hawai'i Distinguished Schools Program awards ceremony at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa.

Sponsoring organization Frito-Lay of Hawai'i presented each school with a $3,000 check, and Aloha Airlines provided air transportation for Neighbor Island representatives to attend the luncheon.

Yesterday's program also recognized last year's Hawai'i winners in the Distinguished Schools program — Kauluwela Elementary, King William Lunalilo Elementary and Nu'uanu Elementary — which were named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2006.

In addition to the $3,000 each school received from Frito-Lay last year, each received an additional $1,000 at the ceremony.

The award honors schools for their dramatic improvement in test scores as well as those that consistently perform in the top 10 percent on state standardized tests under the federal No Child Left Behind mandate for academic progress.

This is the fourth year these awards have been linked to the federal law, which requires schools to demonstrate greater and greater academic proficiency. By the year 2014 all students are expected to be proficient in math and reading.

At least one-third of the schools in the competition must have 40 percent or more of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Since 1988, 44 Hawai'i public schools have been nominated to the national level of the Blue Ribbon Schools program, of which 30 were named National Blue Ribbon Schools.

Frito-Lay of Hawai'i established the Hawai'i Outstanding Public Schools Program in 1985, and it evolved into the Hawai'i Blue Ribbon Schools program three years later. It was renamed the Hawai'i Distinguished Schools program in 2003.