Random anecdote, but the private HS my S24 attended had an associated middle school, and advanced science students would do the first level of HS Physics in 8th grade, then Chem in 9th, and Bio in 10th. They would then be able to do advanced courses in any for 11th and 12th.
But something over half their 9th grade classes, including my S24, came out of different K-8 systems.
So, it was very common for such kids–again including my S24–to do Physics in 9th, then take Chem over the summer between 9th and 10th. That then put them on track to do Bio in 10th with the kids who had come up through the associated middle school, and whatever advanced science classes they liked in 11th and 12th.
Anyway, all this is very specific to the way that particular HS/MS does its science tracks. But it was actually similar to what you (rightly) described as being more common with math.