The Mississippi Department of Education Thursday released figures that showed the graduation rate for this past year was 71.4 percent and the dropout rate was 16.7 percent.

The results compare with a graduation rate of 72 percent and dropout rate of 16 percent for 2008 and 73.8 percent and 15.9 percent in 2007.

The rate in 2006, the first for the current method of calculating the graduation-dropout rate, was 70.8 percent and 17.6 percent.

Tom Burnham, who became state superintendent of education earlier this year, said the state's goal of reducing the dropout rate to 13 percent by 2013 is still attainable.