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You are SOOOO right.  You mentioned your family life encouraged inquisitiveness.  Family and having an "interested" person nearby motivating a student through education is THE prime factor for success in ALL levels of schooling.  It's not whether your parent(s) or legal guardians are nobel laureates or leaders in their fields or even college graduates.  It's not whether you are rich or poor.  It's not about having an expert nearby helping you with your homework everyday, but it is about someone caring that you do your homework. It's about having a person nearby constantly pushing you and showing interest. 

Like a few of us said on our first day in class ... it's about educating the family!  There is a lot more there than meets the eye!  Studies continually show that involved parent(s) foster good students (and caring citizens) and not just on the academic front.

Most schools downplay inquisitiveness.  It does not fit their teaching pedagogy.  Having 30 students constantly asking why/how/who/where/when/what-type questions does not fit the current mode of most teaching environments where conformity is the mode.  Imagine if any branch of the military had a bunch of enlistees who contantly questioned ... nothing would get done.  You do what you are told.

That being said, I have 4 children, and they all are inquistive, but I believe we fostered and encouraged their natural abilities.  From a very early age we read books to them.  They all play the piano and another instrument.  They all have multiple years of a foreign language (at least 5 years by the time each graduates high school).  Thy all love to read (anything).  They go to summer camps for very diverse topics (science, engineering, math, art, politics, military, computers, nanotechnology). 

Parents are THE key!!!

Corollary: Unfortunatley the schools have been made the parents of the children.