I think the premise is correct and despite some of the protestations, so does everyone on this forum. The question is really more about where is the appropriate line to draw 1) for all HS graduates and 2) for all college-bound graduates.
For me, there is a 3rd line. Students interested in STEM or similar studies should take more, perhaps.
I personally believe that we have become much too specialized a the HS level. HS is the best place for discovery and exploration. It is also important to be able to impart life skills to all graduates. While a minority of students may be suited for specialization early, most are not and should not be pigeon-holed so early.
I would require Algebra, Geometry and Statistics for everything but STEM and similar.
English classes are better at teaching how to write effectively. They use literature to teach varied ways of getting it done. The difference is that we all need to be able to communicate effectively. We do not all need to have the math skills to do engineering. Even the statistics is more important for understanding concepts than for being able to do the calculations. That being said, I would not be averse to reducing the English requirement by a year.
That is not to say I want to dumb down the HS curriculum. We need to make more well-rounded students. Too many graduate without understanding very important concepts like how our economy works and how our government works. A great many of our societal ills are based on a fundamental lack of knowledge of these things. Every time I hear an otherwise intelligent person cry for the elimination of the Electoral College, I cry inside for the poor state of our education system.
College is the proper place for specialization with just a bit of reinforcement on the broader ‘core’ subjects. HS should be more general.