LANSING — High school seniors in Michigan are graduating, yet the statewide rate is still lower than the national rate.

The Great Lakes State’s rate is 79.8 percent for the school year of 2014-2015, which increased 1.21 percentage points from the year before.

On Monday, the federal Department of Education declared that it is 3.4 percentage points less than the national rate of 83.2

According to federal data, this is the fourth year that graduation rates have decreased.

William Disessa, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Education, said there is more work to do, but they are happy with results.

“Significant factors, which we attribute increases in high school graduation rates to, are the implementation of the more rigorous Michigan Merit Curriculum and high school graduation requirements (implemented beginning with the class of 2011), combined with a required college entrance exam, first given as part of the high school state assessment in 2007,” Disessa said. “Add to this teachers and students stepping up in the classroom.”

He said the Michigan Merit Curriculum has aided in preparing students for careers, college and even higher entrance exam scores. He added that it has helped more students go to college and graduate.

“While this is good news, we know we have more work to do to continue to improve graduation rates along with math and reading scores,” Disessa said.