Is school harder now than it was 30-40 years ago?

I'm a freshman in college and I was talking to my mom recently about high school and she seemed to think that school was a lot more difficult for me than it was for her generation. We both went to public high schools and were both A students. She didn't have AP classes or Honors classes, which I took every chance I got (I went to a small school that didn't offer those opportunities for every class). She also says she was always able to finish her homework in under 1-2 hours, while she witnessed me work from 3 to 10 pm most days. I know there have been serious technological advances that schools have accommodated, but is school actually harder?

We haven't been able to compare college experiences, as she went to community college and never finished her degree and I'm at a pretty academically rigorous private college. I did take a class at a community college my junior year of high school and it was easier than any of my high school classes.