A new federal study shows that Texas' four-year high school graduation rate climbed to 78.9 percent in 2009-2010, just above the national average -- a stark change from previous data that suggested the state was among the country's leaders in on-time graduation. The National Center for Education Statistics released a report Monday that showed freshman four-year graduation rates statewide rose from 73.1 percent in 2006-2007 school year to 78.9 percent in 2009-2010. Nationally, the on-time graduation rate was 78.2 percent, the highest since 1976. However, nearly half of America's other states had four-year graduation rates higher than Texas. Overall, Texas' dropout rate fell to 2.7 percent for 2009-2010, compared to 3.2 percent the year before. Nationally, the dropout rate was 3.4 percent for the 2009-10 school year, according to the study.