Missouri recently named three Ozarks Elementary schools as some of the state's “Gold Star Schools.”

Among 15 schools in the entire state honored, Hickory County School District's Skyline Elementary in Urbana.

Schools earn the “Gold Star” recognition by performing at a high level academically or making exceptional progress with a high number of disadvantaged students.

Skyline elementary says it's the teachers, students, and community that make it succeed.

Skyline girls’ basketball recently won second in state.

Trying to follow in the winning footsteps of their basketball team, third graders at Skyline Elementary are working hard to score big on the MAP test with some help from their teachers.

"If I get stuck on problem, they'll come over, explain it, or if I get an answer wrong, they'll explain it to me, and it just really helps me," third grader Kaylee DaMitz.

"It can be stressful, but we try to make it as fun as possible for the kids and for us, trying to mix it up a bit, and just make it part of everyday," third grade teacher Kathy Vaughan said.

And the methods of teachers like Vaughan seem to work, with the school earning the Missouri “Gold Star” award for high performance, ranking third in the state in MAP scores compared to other Title One schools.

"The relationship we have with the kids here is what makes Skyline so special. We set high expectations for them no matter who they are, and they meet our expectations every year," Skyline Elementary Principal Jason Pursley said.

The elementary says strong community support also helps.

"We come from Cross Timbers, and Tunas, and Preston, and Urbana, and so we do work hard to become a community," Vaughan said.

It’s a community that fosters hard working students, who hope to score another slam dunk on this year's MAP test.

The state has also nominated Skyline Elementary for the national Blue Ribbon Schools award. The district will find out in August if it gets that.

The state also named Century and Espy Elementary Schools in Nixa "Gold Star Schools" for 2009.