I’m roughly the same age.
Even when we were kids schools were about babysitting. Pity they weren’t honest about it so kids would realize that they should rely on something besides the curriculum,
Regarding curriculum:
When I was a child I had completely read all of my textbooks by the end of the second week. If I was caught reading a library book by hiding it under my desk, the nun would have an emotional and abusive meltdown directed at me. Sometimes it was physical.