More Arizona high-schoolers graduating

PHOENIX - More Arizona high-schoolers are graduating, according to a new report.

"Diplomas Count 2010: Graduation by the Numbers - Putting Data to Work for Student Success" says Arizona's high-school graduation rate has risen more than 8 percent over the last ten years.

The report examines national trends over the last decade. Arizona's graduation rate was 68.2 percent in 2007, the most recent year that data were available. The national rate was 68.8 percent in 2007.

Just one decade earlier the gap was nearly 6 percent.

Tom Horne, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, said the state has been aggressive in working for nearly a decade to ease the dropout rate.

Horne also says the state has put a new focus on career technical education, something he says has also aided in the upswing.

Despite positive numbers, critics of the report point out that Arizona is still behind the national average in graduation rates, and far below the average for state education funding.