I think it depends on the school district as to what is offered. My kids, who graduated from a relatively small HS in the 90s and in 2002 all had the chance to take home ec, only the oldest (boy) and youngest (girl) did. Welding and woodshop are part of the ag program and also open to both guys and gals. As noted earlier, ag and home ec are electives and often considered 'easy' classes. Art, choir, band and drama are others that often fall by the wayside unless there is an excellent teacher that can get the kids to win UIL competition.