HS. We hung out all the time and our lives had no connection to school functions whatsoever.

At some point later, I was dating a girl who wanted to go to one of the other dances. We went and it was fun. But I personally did not care about that dance or prom or any other.

That being said, I generally agree with OP - a lot of people want to go, and it ends up becoming an exclusionary event, which sucks for some people. A culture of solo attendance would make it comfortable for every to go who wants to go.