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<p>Depends on the state and type of diploma requested. If one wanted a regents HS diploma from NY state even back when I attended, one needed at least 3 years of lab science including physics and successfully pass the physics regents exam. </p>
<p>Only things my HS added was we had to take 1 extra year of science electives if we didn’t take an extra science AP or a sufficiently advanced college-level STEM class at a local 4-year college. </p>
<p>Also, while calculus wasn’t required for graduation even from my public magnet, there was strong peer pressure among elite U contender students in the better local public HSs and moreso, public magnets like the one I attended to complete it before graduating HS to demonstrate one’s intellectual/academic bonafides. There was a pervasive perception among many students in this group along with some parents, HS teachers, and STEM college Profs that calculus was a good way to separate out the “genuinely intelligent students” from everyone else. </p>