<p>You may be in the same situation as my younger son - in order to get into AP Calculus, his school requires certain minimum grades in Algebra, Algebra II, Geometry and Pre-Calculus. However, his school does make exceptions for students who can make a case that AP Calculus is necessary post-graduation even if they don’t have the grades for automatic admission to the AP class. Maybe your school does that as well? </p>
<p>That said, taking Calculus in high school is not necessary to get into an engineering program. It will be necessary, however, to have a very good foundation in mathematics. You should try to address whatever caused your to perform poorly in Algebra II before selecting engineering as a major.</p>