The U.S. Census Bureau says in five suburban Washington counties, more than 50 percent of the children age four and younger were minorities when the annual survey was taken a year ago.

In Prince William, Montgomery and Charles counties, the portion was 60 percent. In Prince George's County, more than 90 percent of these children are minorities. In Fairfax County, Asian children account for 17 percent of those younger than five.

The Census bureau figures were released Thursday.

As the current crop of youngsters hits kindergarten age, school systems that would otherwise be losing students will continue to grow or remain stable. They will also need to accommodate more students who were raised in households where English was not spoken.