Efficiency analysis of elementary schools in Bratislava : a two step DEA approach

Education is a key area that should matter to the whole society. Measuring efficiency in education is a widely discussed academic and professional topic. The presented article focuses on investigating the efficiency of 57 elementary schools in the city of Bratislava. We used a two-step approach. In addition to measuring the output efficiency of elementary schools through the analysis of the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis method (DEA) with variable returns of scale (VRS), we also performed regression analyses to examine the connection between contextual variables and the measured output efficiency. The analysis shows that the achieved output efficiency is positively associated by the technical equipment of schools, staff in schools and the establishment (prestige) of schools in society. We noted a negative association with the number of students with special needs. Our findings can serve the city administration, as they can largely influence the monitored parameters by their own decision.