ST. PAUL (AP) - Minnesota's high school graduation rate has climbed above 81 percent but there's still a ways to go to meet a statewide goal of a 90 percent rate by 2020.

The state Department of Education released graduation figures Tuesday. In 2014, the rate was 81.2 percent, which was up from 79.8 percent the year before. The rates differ by ethnic group, but officials say they increased in all of them.

Black students continue to trail the statewide average with 60 percent of those who begin high school graduating. Still, that's up three percentage points from the year before and 10 points since 2011.

Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius says "it won't be easy" to hit the 2020 goal but she's hopeful it will happen.

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