Absolutely. I mean, not all of it.. reading is pretty dang useful, and I probably read faster given that I learned it early on instead of later when I would have realized I needed to learn it and then put in the effort myself. On the other hand, I've heard (this wasn't a scientific study AFAIK) that people who learn to read earlier tend to be more depressed, or maybe just more left-brained, I don't remember exactly. Arithmetic and algebra were useful too, but algebra has only come in useful for certain hobby projects, and I strongly don't agree with it being a mandatory subject. And learning how to write was obviously useful, which should probably be lumped in with learning how to read. I can't think of anything else that was useful.. I guess knowing the structure of the government was important, but even that wasn't useful per se--it probably never affected who I voted for or didn't vote for.

A lot of the crap you learn in school is just memorization, to be leaned the night before the test and promptly forgotten afterward. And a lot of it was skills, but those skills only serve to make you a better cog, not a better person. Well, learning to tell time was another useful thing.

I think school is child abuse, by and large, and needs major reform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xe6nLVXEC0 I'm hesitant to say that any subject in school whatsoever should be mandatory, but even if some subjects should be, it needs to be fewer or at least very different subjects. Also children should start school later in the day and should have more freedom in what courses they take (though I can't imagine that working out in any way other than asking their parents what courses they'll take, for young children, but that's better than no choice.)

Oh yeah, I remember having to read books and answer questions about them or write summaries, etc. That (and possible other things) may have been more aimed more toward making me a "better" (more cultured) person, though it didn't really have that effect on me.