General education is hard. Not everyone wants to learn or know about everything. I do think a general understanding of arithmetic, writing, reading, biology, chemistry, physics, and history is needed to be successful in modern society. However, the basic principals of these topics can be taught to proficiency by the 8th grade. The later years of high school should have a specific focus on course work and experiences which are aligned with a student’s interests.
By the 8th grade, test scores, a skilled counselor and the recommendations of teachers should be able to indicate the areas that students are proficient. The student can tell what they enjoy doing and what are their interests. Peer pressure may create noise in the analysis. But peer pressure should be able to be identified by looking at the trends of interests in a student’s cohort and current cultural interests.
Either near the end of 8th grade, between 8tha and 9th grade or in the 9th-grade year, students should job shadow individuals working with the student’s areas of interest. More than one job shadow experience should happen for each student so they have points of comparison. Perhaps a student shadows two different individuals in the same industry at different points in their careers.
Based on the experience of the job shadow, a student should then decide their course of study. Course work should be as specific as possible to the actual career goals the students and their advisors have chosen. In a traditional high school setting, some of this course work may be online or at a community college, if the courses are not available on campus.
I believe this specific focus educational system would provide better overall results with student engagement in high school, graduation rates, and more fulfilled students.