Have most US high schools really dropped home economics?

Does anyone know if it's true that most US high schools have dropped home economics from their curriculum? I really enjoyed the class and learned a lot from it. Why would they get rid of it?

Yes, many high schools in the U.S. have indeed moved away from classic "home economics" courses, although they haven't entirely disappeared. This shift is mostly due to the evolving needs of the modern workforce and the push to provide students with skills that directly feed into various career paths.

The traditional home economics course, which included learning basic home care skills like cooking, sewing, and managing budgets, has transformed into a plethora of career and technical education courses. These can cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from culinary arts and hospitality, fashion design, child development, family health, and personal finance, to broader areas of study like business and entrepreneurship.

It's also worth noting that the educational budget has an impact too. When it comes to funding priorities, classes that don't directly relate to core subject areas (like math, science, English, and social studies) are often the first to get cuts. This includes elective classes such as home economics.

However, despite these changes, the essential skills traditionally taught in home economics are still seen as valuable and are often incorporated into other areas of the curriculum. For example, nutrition might be taught in a health class, budgeting, and financial management might be found in a personal finance course, and other teachable moments can appear in science, math, and other subjects.

So, while the traditional "home ec" class might be less common, many of the practical skills it imparted are still being taught – they're just taking on new forms and fitting into different areas of the curriculum.