The national high school graduation rate has improved notably, with 78.2 percent of public school students receiving a diploma in 2009-10, up from 75.5 percent the year before, according to the newest figures released from the National Center for Education Statistics Tuesday.
In 2005-06, the rate was 73.4 percent, and in 2000-01, it was 71.7 percent.
There were 38 states with an increase of one percentage point or more, in the most recent analysis. Overall, 3.1 million students received a diploma in 2009-10, the report, "Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data:... finds.