I'm sure there were weeks where I didn't get outside during school hours, but between PE in the gym (when cold/wet/whatever), music lessons, chorus, GT programs, and other enrichment, I was rarely stuck in the same room and same seat for more than a few hours at a time.
If schools have changed in the last 25 years such that none of that out-of-classroom enrichment occurs, then yeah, we're failing out kids.
There's still a good amount of out-of-classroom enrichment, however here in Georgia we've had a rather nasty cold snap that has prevented kids from going outside (county-wide requirement). How teachers respond to this extra time in the classroom is obviously up to them, but I know of one who had her kids do Zumba for the duration of recess instead of just using it for more instruction.
If schools have changed in the last 25 years such that none of that out-of-classroom enrichment occurs, then yeah, we're failing out kids.