WASHINGTON — Loudoun County, Virginia, is known for being one of the richest counties in the area, but new data show its students may be losing academic ground.

A four-year look (2011-2014) at how the county’s minority students are doing shows there is a widening achievement gap in English and math between minority students and non-minority students, the Loudoun Times reports.

The research also shows a higher rate of suspension for black and Hispanic students.  Minority students were two to three times more likely to be suspended than white students.

The research also revealed that student proficiency rates in both math and English dropped for all groups during the four years. In English, Asian students went from 94 percent in 2011 to 89 percent in 2014, and Hispanic students went from 81 percent in 2011 to 67 percent in 2014.

The information was presented to the school board during its meeting on March 24.