Identifying and validating characteristics of high-performing schools: a quantitative study in Dutch education

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify and provide initial empirical support for the organizational and managerial characteristics of high-performing schools (HPS), and to examine how these relate to the established high-performance organization (HPO) framework and to school results in the Dutch context. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage quantitative study: (1) a literature review (2018–2023) distilled 34 HPS characteristics grouped into four hypothesized factors; (2) a cross-sectional survey (Autumn 2023) among staff in three Dutch schools (two primary, one vocational; n = 274). Instruments included the HPS items, the HPO questionnaire and a two-item school-results index. Analyses used Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlations, independent-samples t-tests and one-way ANOVAs (SPSS v18). Findings The four HPS factors – quality of school management, quality of internal organization, quality of teachers and staff, and quality of educational approach – showed high internal reliability. All HPS factors correlated positively with school results; HPO factors did as well. HPS and HPO factors were mutually correlated, indicating a complementary system of practices. Primary schools scored higher than the vocational school on all HPS subscales; employee role had significant main effects on three of four subscales, while tenure showed no effect. Originality/value This study offers an empirically grounded, education-specific set of organizational and managerial HPS characteristics, with strong internal consistency and initial empirical support, and explicitly connects them to the HPO framework, providing a practical, evidence-based diagnostic for school leaders and a theoretical bridge between school effectiveness and HPO literatures.