School Climate and Academic Performance: Key Factors for Sustainable Education in High-Efficacy Schools and Low-Efficacy Schools

Pablo Delgado-Galindo, Jesús García-Jiménez, Juan-Jesús Torres-Gordillo () and Javier Rodríguez-Santero
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Pablo Delgado-Galindo: Department of Educational Research Methods and Diagnostics, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain
Jesús García-Jiménez: Department of Educational Research Methods and Diagnostics, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain
Juan-Jesús Torres-Gordillo: Department of Educational Research Methods and Diagnostics, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain
Javier Rodríguez-Santero: Department of Educational Research Methods and Diagnostics, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: The school climate is defined as the conditions present within a learning environment that influence the development of educational practices in the context of the school. A positive school climate is crucial for improving learning opportunities, students’ academic performance, and the overall quality of daily schoolwork, thereby promoting educational sustainability. The aim of this research was to analyse and compare the relationships among teachers and among students to understand the school climate in high-efficacy schools and low-efficacy schools. A content analysis was conducted on 50 semistructured interviews with members of the leadership teams from both types of schools. The findings showed that in highly effective schools, there are more favourable perceptions of the school climate, better relationships among teachers, and higher expectations for students than in schools with low efficacy. Improving the school climate can optimise educational performance and should be considered a key strategy to improve both the effectiveness of schools and their long-term sustainability.

Keywords: educational environment; classroom environment; student behaviour; educational efficacy; academic achievement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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