I'm all for school choice. Both of my kids are in a Tech high school (https://techhigh.us/academics/) rather than a standard high school. It's still a public school but you have to be approved to get into it. It kind of goes like this: One week is standard class work for the three R's (reading, writing and arithmetic) and other core areas like history, biology, geography, physics, chem, foreign language and and so on. The next week they do classes in their chosen area of interest that they picked at the beginning of each semester. In the first year for the the first month or so they get to sample classes in various disciplines on the tech side to help them decide what they like and don't like.
Then they put in for 6 picks and rank them of interest from 1-6. You get 3 of out of your 6 picks from your list depending on academic performance and class availability. Very similar to signing up for college courses. Following years you are grandfathered into the classes of the previous year unless you want to change. If you want to change, again it's based on academic performance and class availability.
My son is doing welding (his first choice), robotics (his second choice) and some computer systems/graphic arts/photoshop course (this third choice)
Daughter is doing Vet tech (her first choice but now doesn't like it because part of that includes euthanasia for animals), Biotech (her second choice which is now her favorite course) and a med tech course (her third choice).
During "tech week" they do class work and field trips to businesses related to the area of the class. My son has taken field trips down to CT at some place that does underwater welding. I'm jealous that I wasn't able to go.
Last fall, students that were in HVAC courses went to a local state trooper barracks where they were updating the heating and AC system. They spent 2 or 3 days going there doing hands on work with the contracted HVAC company.
I'm 100% behind this as it teaches them and gives them exposure to real world stuff that they are interested in. I'd rather have my son or daughter spend time in an area that they gravitate to rather than forcing them to do a pottery class or poetry class that they have no interest in.
I'm not discounting pottery or poetry as worthless, these areas have their place in society. I'd like to let the parents and the kids decide which path they want to take rather and than a cookie cutter state established rigid educational system.