I teach people who thought this way, and later decided to enter a career that requires basic data analysis literacy. They struggle with things like order of ope

I teach people who thought this way, and later decided to enter a career that requires basic data analysis literacy. They struggle with things like order of operations, which is incredibly frustrating. Teaching math up to the high school/introductory college level is about building foundational skills that can be applied in different directions. Will they need to apply trig identities? Probably not, but the process of getting there in high school is good for their minds and foundational abilities. So yes, I'd personally say we should expect people to "keep up in math".