It may not be like everywhere but in the US most of my education (k-12) was memorization. All we did was memorize names, places, dates, formulas, or a series of steps (depending on the class) over the course of ~2 weeks then we'd be tested to see what we could remember. After the test, we'd move on to the next thing and could forget all about what we just memorized.
The only classes I can recall that required higher-order skills were some woodworking, CAD, and CNC/machining classes I took while at an off-site vocational school alongside my required high school classes.