Yes, my ideal high school course load will not have room for any electives. It will be standardized across the country and all schools will have to teach and grade to the same standard and all students will take the same courses. Then we will have a real basis for comparison of what a high school degree really means in producing citizens that are ready to be a part of modern American society. Schools can go deeper than the core requirement of course, and all courses can have a regular/honors/AP path to accommodate students of different aptitude and dedication levels.
Since my recommended load is quite broad, I do not think students will miss out on much electives. I made room by eliminating PE and arts, as well as all life skills courses. Students who are good in sports and arts will any way find room for that outside of school. Life skills should be taught at home. Parents need to be a partner in the education of their kids.
Of course that is my ideal, since that’s the way the original question is framed. I fully understand that it is not feasible with the varying levels of resources and opportunities available to different students based on their individual socio-economic situations.