Hartford - High school graduation rates in Connecticut are continuing to climb for the third year in a row. Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said Wednesday the graduation rate for the 2011-12 school year increased by 2.1 percentage points from the prior year.

Almost all of the subgroups, including students eligible for reduced-priced school lunches, Hispanic students and English Language Learners, registered gains that were greater than 3 percent.

However, data still indicate achievement gaps based on income. More than 66 percent of students eligible for free lunch graduated after four years, compared with 83.5 percent eligible for reduced-priced lunches and more than 93 percent of students who weren't eligible for the lunch program.

- Associated Press