WASHINGTON — The number of blacks and Hispanics enlisting in the Army dropped again in 2005 — the sixth year in a downward trend for black recruits, according to an Army report.

In 2000, 23.3 percent of new enlistees were black. By 2005, that number fell to 13.5 percent. The demographics profile began keeping tabs on Hispanic troops in 2004, when they came in at 12.1 percent of total recruits. Last year, they made up 11.7 percent of recruits.

Army recruiters are struggling to explain the drop.

One problem: Minorities are scoring lower on the Army entrance test.

Army statistics show that 40 percent of whites who take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery score in the 50th percentile or lower on the portion that measures math know-ledge and reasoning and reading comprehension. But 70 percent of Hispanics and 74 percent of blacks who take the test score in the 50th percentile or lower, said Beth Asch, who specializes in military manpower issues for Rand Corp.

"That could come from language barriers — especially with Hispanic recruits — or education issues," she said.

Another possible explanation for the decline is that fewer blacks are attempting to join the Army. Indeed, recruiters have struggled to sign up new soldiers of all races since the start of the Iraq war.

Asch said a survey by the Defense Department asked 18- to 24-year-olds if the war on terrorism was affecting their decision to enlist.

"Black kids were significantly more likely to say they're not going to join the military," she said.

But, Asch said, it's important to remember the total percentage of blacks in the Army — 21.6 percent in fiscal 2005 — is still much higher than it is in the general population — 13 percent.

"Black enlistment has been high and overrepresented for a number of years," said Maggi Morehouse, a historian who has written several books about blacks in the military. "I have been expecting black enlistment to drop significantly below the 23 (percent) to 24 percent numbers that represent the all-time high."

Morehouse said there are probably several reasons, including the fact that the percentage of black, male high school graduates is lower than that of whites, and the number of blacks going to college — and not into the military — has increased since the 1970s.

As for the idea that blacks are more likely to be killed in the military — that's a myth.

Brian Gifford studied casualties of the war in Iraq by race for the Berkeley School of Public Health. From March 19, 2003, to April 8, 2004, Gifford found that 69 percent of those who died were white, 14 percent were black, and 11 percent were Hispanic. During that same period, whites made up 68 percent of the Army and Marines, blacks 15 percent and Hispanics 10.7 percent.

Gifford said those percentages have remained stable as the war has continued.