We produce a set of indicators to measure the quality and availability of school infrastructure in each municipality and for each level of education; we estimate the potential demand for school services in order to identify local weaknesses in the availability of education infrastructure. The indicators are then matched with learning outcomes to provide a descriptive assessment of the impact of the quality and availability of school buildings on learning processes.
The supply of school infrastructure is better than the national average in the northern regions of the country while there is evidence of significant shortcomings in the south, particularly for primary schools. In both areas, the most critical mismatches between supply and potential demand are found in more densely populated areas. Poorer quality and availability of school infrastructure is associated with higher school dropout rates and less adequate learning outcomes among pupils with the same social and economic background.
Published in 2024 in: Politica economica/Journal of Economic Policy, v. 1/2023, pp. 41-90.
