Preliminary graduation rate data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that the vast majority of states, 36 total, saw increases in overall graduation rates during the 2013-2014 school year.

“The fact that graduation rates are up – something is different out there,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Monday. “There is something in the water. These preliminary numbers give me hope that it will continue to get better.”

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States making the biggest gains include Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Oregon and West Virginia. Only six states experienced decreases in graduation rates while eight states saw no change.

The majority of states also shrank the achievement gap for black and Hispanic students, as well as for low-income students, students with disabilities, and those learning English.

The U.S. has posted record graduation rates for the last two years, with the country’s highest-ever rate – 81 percent for the 2012-2013 school year – announced earlier this year. The NCES plans to release final graduation rate data this coming spring.

The announcement helps bolster the education agenda Duncan has aggressively pursued ahead of his departure from President Barack Obama’s cabinet in December. Since taking office at the beginning of the administration, Duncan has pushed states to make various changes to their education systems, including by adopting common and more rigorous standards, implementing teacher evaluations based in part on student test scores and expanding charter schools.

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Using competitive grants like those available through the Race to the Top program, he was able to spur such changes. But the strategy has also garnered him his fair share of critics, many of whom equate it with federal government overreach.

“The goal is to provide better outcomes for students who are underserved,” Duncan said. “To do that from Washington would be the height of arrogance. What we did try to do is challenge people to challenge the status quo.”

Duncan said, however, that he wishes he had used his executive authority sooner in some cases, including to relinquish states from some of the most burdensome requirements of No Child Left Behind in exchange for their implementation of new education policies.

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“A lot was done too slow,” Duncan said. “We probably should have gone to [NCLB] waivers a year or two earlier than we did.”

The news of graduation rates continuing to rise comes as the department is focusing on ways to boost the number of college graduates by reshaping the federal student loan system and making it easier for students to navigate the admissions process.

“Our goal is to lead the world in college completion rates,” Duncan said. “We’re thrilled high school graduation rates are up. A million more students of color are going to college. But the goal is not to go. It’s to graduate.”