My high school had a "senior lounge" which was actually a wide open space in the hallway within sight of the assistant principal's office. It had a few chairs and sofas. Only the students in their final year were supposed to use it. The first week of school I hauled in an old bean bag chair I wanted to unload and dropped it there without a word. Everyone was kind of shocked at first (they didn't realize who had left it) and it caused a lot of talk. But the administration didn't take it away. People started sitting in it and decided they liked it. Over the next few weeks two more bean bag chairs showed up. This became a thing until sometime during the middle of the year someone unzipped a bean bag chair and started throwing the styrofoam beans during horseplay. At that point the administration confiscated all the bean bag chairs.

Big house parties? Meh, not so much.

Lots of work? Depends on what courses you take.

School shootings? Quite rare. One is too many of course, but this is a country of more than 300 million people.

Free time between the lessons? Only if you have a gap in your schedule as a study hour. Otherwise there's just a few minutes to go to your locker, change books, and get to the next class. Most of the socializing happens at lunchtime or before or after school.

Shit? Yes indeed. It can be wearisome because both the teaching and the rules are designed around the least competent students.