Even back in '73 I had that attitude about school. A sea of mediocrity, it dared not challenge and woe be upon anyone who dared challenge the status quo (I have learned tenure has a way of doing that to a system). That was my impression of it then, and I bugged out at 15 to come back and take the certification exams at a later time, after learning the skills needed to support myself through other means.
Indifference is projected by leadership and reflected back to it, be it at home, work, or school - and it becomes the norm. Instinct, I believe, is to do no more than is necessary to survive, but that is not enough to maintain our complex societies. So other behaviors must be learned, and it is the personal responsibility of each individual to rise above regardless of the barriers placed before them, and keep trying no matter how many times they fail.
The unions have a lot to do with that, also.
But it also applies to students. One teacher referred to the kindergarten thru senior-in-high-school period as "the sentence". Check out any American public school and American prison, and you wonder what's the difference.