A data envelopment analysis of comparative performance of schools in the Netherlands

We have compared the performance of selected schools in the Netherlands in this paper using Data Envelopment Analysis. The motivation for the study originated from some apparent discrepancies of the existing practice, and from our interest in identifying a better method for the comparative analysis. We have found that the DEA efficiencies of schools are in line with their performance. We then identified the effects of several non-discretionary input variables, which can influence the efficiency scores but which are not in direct control of the management of the schools, on the DEA efficiencies using regression. The analysis has found that larger schools tend to have higher efficiency, exclusive grammar schools seem to have a higher efficiency compared to the grammar streams of comprehensive schools, and, Roman Catholic and/or Protestant Christian schools seem to have higher efficiency compared to other categories of schools. However, no such significant influence could be detected for the schools located within the city of The Hague, which is the largest city of the region under study.