Governor Bob McDonnell and the Virginia Board of Education have announced that nine Loudoun schools earned Virginia Index of Performance awards for 2013.

Two schools, Lincoln and Pinebrook elementary schools, earned Board of Education Excellence awards, the second-tier honor in the VIP program. In order to earn the Education Excellence award, schools must meet all state and federal accountability benchmarks for two consecutive years, expand educational opportunities and make significant progress toward increased student achievement goals.

Seven other schools earned the Distinguished Achievement award, the third highest honor. These schools are: Aldie, Ashburn, Belmont Station, Hamilton, Liberty, Lowes Island and Round Hill.

There were 151 schools and one school division honored by the Board this year.