Estimation and determinants of school efficiency in public education: evidence from Moroccan secondary schools

This study assesses the efficiency with which Moroccan public secondary schools transform resources into student achievement using PISA 2022 data. School-level technical efficiency is estimated through an output-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) model under variable returns to scale. Results show an average efficiency score of 0.88 (original DEA score ≈1.14), indicating that schools could raise PISA performance by up to 14% with unchanged inputs. The analysis reveals notable disparities in efficiency both among and within regions, underscoring structural variations inherent in Morocco's decentralized education system. A second-stage bootstrap truncated regression identifies key determinants: grade repetition and bullying reduce efficiency, while rural schools perform more efficiently than urban ones. Significant regional fixed effects further suggest that differences in efficiency reflect broader socioeconomic conditions beyond student and school-level factors. Overall, the study provides the first PISA-based efficiency benchmarks for Moroccan secondary schools and underscores the need for policies that enhance internal resource use while addressing external contextual constraints.