A good education is far more than just textbooks. Critical thinking is what is missing here - and is what needs to be taught in schools.

Mindless regurgitation of facts doesn't really help anyone - and that's the majority of what I've seen in highschools in America.

I think this is the key point. Even if schools presented largely propaganda but they spent an effective amount of time teaching useful critical thinking then the students might have enough experience/tools to think for themselves and not accept everything in the books.