American high school students are graduating at higher rates, including U.S. Latinos.

Data from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) 's National Center for Education Statistics revealed the U.S. high school graduation rate reached a new peak of 82.3 percent during the 2013-2014 academic year; it's the highest level since stated adopted a new mechanism to calculate graduation rates five years ago.

The DOE noted the graduation gap between Latino and black students and white students have narrowed.

Specifically within the Latino population, high school graduation rates hit 76.3 percent, which is an increase of 5.3 percent during the 2010-2011 academic year. For the 2013-2014 year, the Latino high school graduation rate was 85.5 percent in Texas, higher than California's 77 percent, Florida's 64.7 percent and New York's 63.9 percent.

The Latino graduation rate was higher than the American Indian/Alaskan Native and black demographics. The black student graduation rate was 72.5 percent during 2013-2014, which is a 5.5 percent improvement from 2010-2011's 67 percent.

The Asian/Pacific Islander demographic accounted for the highest graduation level at 89.4 percent, although this group has maintained high levels for the last few years. White high school students had the second-highest rate with 87.2 percent.

"America's students have achieved another record milestone by improving graduation rates for a fourth year," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. "The hard work of teachers, administrators, students and their families has made these gains possible and as a result many more students will have a better chance of going to college, getting a good job, owning their own home, and supporting a family."

"We can take pride as a nation in knowing that we're seeing promising gains, including for students of color," added Duncan.

According to Delegated Deputy Secretary John King, in a statement, a high school diploma is "absolutely critical" and key to future success in college, work and in life.

"It is encouraging to see our graduation rate on the rise and I applaud the hard work we know it takes to see this increase," said King. "But too many students never get their diploma, never walk across the graduation stage and while our dropout numbers are also decreasing, we remain committed to urgently closing the gaps that still exist in too many schools and in too many communities."

To view the DOE's state-by-state high school graduation breakdown, click here.

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