New York City officials are facing renewed criticism over the lack of diversity in specialized academic schools. Recent data shows that the number of black and Latino students enrolled for next year have barely budged, leaving school demographics largely white and Asian.

Admission to these schools, which originally consisted of Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science, and Brooklyn Technical High School, has been decided by a standardized exam since 1971. At that time, state legislators saw the exam as a way to block the diversification of the elite schools, said Politico education reporter Eliza Shapiro.

"There was a movement in the city to try to diversify the schools," Shapiro told WNYC's Jami Floyd. "And in response to that sort of fledgling movement, state legislators said 'We want to enshrine this exam in law to prevent the academic rigor of the schools from in any way declining.'"

Critics say the Hect-Calandra Act tailored the admissions process to affluent white students and families, since they are more likely to learn about the test and be able to afford test preparation courses. Now, however, a majority of the students who are accepted to the exam schools are Asian.

Although changing the law can only be done through legislation in Albany, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has another option for addressing the lack of school diversity, reports Shapiro.

"There is a route for the mayor to, in essence, change classification of the five newer specialized schools," said Shapiro, "give them a category or a name other than 'specialized' and exempt them from the state law."

The newer exam schools are Brooklyn Latin School, Staten Island Technical high School, Queens High School for the Sciences, High School of American Studies, and High School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering.

In a statement, a Department of Education spokeswoman told Shapiro the Hecht-Calandra law does not outlines a procedure for how the city would change the designation of the schools, and that any effort to do so "would be challenged."