Thanks, @momofsenior1 and @ucbalumnus !
They reviewed a number of videos from one of the popular series on YouTube for Physics 1 and found the lack of calculus to get in the way. So, after viewing a number of the Mechanics videos, they felt that it was the right level. Don’t get me wrong, they felt that the material was quite challenging. Fortunately, my spouse uses this level of physics in their job and will be able to act as an inhouse tutor.
They are not concerned about advanced placement at colleges. Because they do not know where they will go, they are just concerned with preparing in the best way for an engineering program as well as taking the most rigorous courseload that they can handle (especially since they are opting out of APUSH). This was a similar question they had last year when they chose Calc AB over BC. Am I reading you both correctly to say that Mechanics alone will be viewed as sufficiently rigorous?