State's High School Dropout Rate Falls

The high school dropout rate in Massachusetts has fallen to the lowest level in two decades.

State education officials said Friday that the annual Massachusetts dropout rate fell in 2011 to 2.7 percent. That's about 8,000 students.

The state's four-year graduation rate is up to 83 percent of high school students, up 1.3 percentage points from 2010.

It's the fifth consecutive year graduation rates have risen in Massachusetts.

“We are committed to ensuring that all of our students graduate from high school prepared for higher education, the workforce, or both," Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement. “I am proud of the progress we have made, but we won’t be satisfied until we have a system that closes the achievement gap and prepares all of our students for success.”