I grew up in Russia and attended school there until 9th grade and when I went to American HS it buffled me that regular school day is so much longer but the quality of education in STEM is so much poorer. If I had to stay through out the summer studying then I probably would end up with ritalin for 'ADD'. I did not enjoy HS in US at all, it was like one big kindergarten for teenagers, so dreadful. It did not prepare me for college, but it's ok because my freshmen year was nearly identical in difficulty.
With STEM in the US unfortunately, you will find that the quality varies heavily depending on the socioeconomic status of the school district's inhabitants.
