You are right that both the old format of wood shop and home ec are too expensive for schools to maintain in these times of high stakes testing and decreased funding. I work at a middle school, and while both programs are still there, the enrollment is small in both. Part of it is our society does not hold in high esteem what used to be called "trades" as careers--for which we are paying a price now as a society when we don't have young people to learn those trades!
One thing I would mention, at least in the foods portion of home ec classes, boys are a large part of the enrollment and actually are often the better students--I think part of that is the recent upsurge in attention given to male chefs in our media.