Maybe we should learn to read, write & cipher in grades 1-12?
How about grades 1 - 8?
There was a time when high school was a privilege, not a right, which had to earned by passing an entrance examination.
I remember reading the bio of a lady who went through a rural Pennsylvania High School in the early 19th century who had 4 years of French, 4 years of Latin, 4 years of German, and 3 years of Greek.
That's a better education in languages than most collegians receive today.