Cost‐benefit Analysis: An Application in Two Elementary Schools

Based on the proposition that “per pupil per hour” is a viable unit for analysing both costs and benefits of education. It is proposed that “per pupil per hour” is a unit on which programmes can be analysed and tracked across terms or years to give trend data. Such trend data can provide better information on which educational decisions can be based. “Benefits” are defined as percentages of students who achieved an expected level of accomplishment set by principals prior to the start of the study. Whatever the basis of expected success, it is proposed that standards set at the school level in harmony with the real situation can provide the most relevant data for programme analysis. Results from this case study reveal that on a “per pupil per hour” basis, education is perhaps the best bargain that the public gets.