Of course it is, and everyone knows it. We all went through it. How could we not know? But it's much easier to pretend it's not happening.
Teachers pretend to teach, students pretend to learn, and parents pretend that the teachers are teaching and the students are learning. The system works perfectly.
School isn't about learning. It never has been. For parents, it's about free babysitting. For the elites, it's about molding society.
When your mother is a teacher form the old school style of teaching, school IS about learning. No matter what else went on there it was STILL about learning.
Yeh, I got bullied, a lot. I was a small teenager and the only thing that stopped it was fighting back.
I lost a lot but I ALWAYS left a visible mark.
The bullies eventually got tired of answering the question, "Who did that to you", having to answer with my name, and getting the, "That LITTLE kid?", reply.
Well, that's a nice, inflammatory sentiment, that has a comfortably anti-NEA flavor to it. And it's even correct, in some cases. But it's not universally true, and it's probably not even generally true.
For example, my experience was different, as is my kids'. I know a lot of kids from different states and places who are learning in schools that are about learning -- and yes, some of them are even public schools.
(FWIW, my brother's daughter is in a private school, and while it has a good reputation, he's dissatisfied with the education she's getting.... He says the school seems to be more about the elites, molding society.)
If you're really interested in fixing what's broke, you need to take an honest look at what's not broke. It's a lot more helpful than posting complaints to the FR choir.