When I was in high school, graduation standards were lower. The math requirement for high school graduation may have only been algebra 1 (maybe geometry). Now, it is common for high schools to require geometry and algebra 2 (or integrated math 3) least for graduation.
The state of high school education in the US is not good now, but idealizing the “good old days” is misleading because they were nowhere near as good as believed (even for those who were not members of outgroups).