The thing to keep in mind is that all of these schools offer science classes at the AP level or beyond. It’s not like the only 4th year options are oceanography and astronomy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; I took astronomy (which was a fascinating class) and it’s not like it impacted college admissions. But I also had the opportunity to take quantum mechanics, which is a rarity in the HS curriculum, as is organic chem, which was also offered.
At most of these schools, the kids can still take the AP exam, even without the official course.