Unless you're fairly unusual, you'll probably need the papers that employers care about. Since you spend a lot of time at the school, that's the time you need to learn to use more effectively. Here's how I survive through mandatory lectures at university level:

• wake up early
• do all the fun and/or useful learning in the morning with a fresh brain before school, make anki cards
• do all the useless assignments I'd hate anyways after and during school just before the deadline
• study all the school topics beforehand, so I don't have to fully concentrate during the lectures (listening stuff you can read is a gigantic waste of time)
• review anki cards on my smartphone/laptop during the lectures, roughly listen to the lecturer so you don't miss anything important

Obviously this might not be something that you can specifically do, but you get the idea. They still think I go there for their useless lectures. Can you utilize your commutes or some other time you think is part of your school day?