Yes and no.
I agree with your general assessment.
Actually, high school for me was great. It was PRIOR that was torture. I was too “ugly”, not to mention tall and not a normal girl.
I guess my wonderful family, and a couple good neighbor friends, helped me through. By high school, I thought “hell with them if they don’t like me”, and had a great time MAKING friends because I wasn’t so hung up on not being poked at. No longer really inhibited or intimidated. And yes, I befriended the “little funny” people, too, as well as hipper people. But really was never friends with the popular people.
“I guess my wonderful family, and a couple good neighbor friends, helped me through. “
That is the critical piece that kids need growing up. A young man who watches a childlike show about a pony; would lovingly be corrected and directed away from it; and directed to become a man instead.