For kids who are thinking of applying to Engineering or CS programs, taking CS in high school isn’t that important. What are important are classes like Calc. As long as your kid has four years of math, and the highest level of math that the school provides, Engineering and CS programs ill be fine. The only reason for your kid to take CS is to get a bit of an idea as to what Computer Science actually is (many people think that it’s just coding).
For kids who are interested in engineering, it’s better to take physics than to take CS.