I can agree with you partially that high school in America is really poor in general. Having spent time in an inner city high school during my academic career, I agree with you that at the majority of the time, it felt like I was in some sort of government funded baby-sitting service. Man, I could go on for hours if you asked me about my experience there.

However, when I was a junior, I was relocated, started living with my aunt and uncle, and started going to a really nice public school. The difference was night and day. In fact, it took me weeks to stop walking around the hallways looking ready to bite someone's head off simply because that's just what you did in rougher schools to keep people from picking a fight with you.

The things I found at this nice high school were teachers who cared for my success and worked with me to get there, friends who shared an interest in computer science, UIL computer science academics, robotics, and so many other options and facets that have helped me to get a head start on my career. This school has options and extra-ciriculars that help students become young adults. I remember being on my high school campus an average of 10 hours with all the clubs, extra-curriculars, and athletics I participated in.

Sure, high school is always going to be a transitional time for people. But it doesn't need to be young-adult day care or a few steps up from jail. I earned three college credits and my CCENT in high school.