Empirical data as concerns the worth of the Naval Academy as a source of officers

A 117 page 2008 study from the Naval Post Graduate School Very much apropos of the ongoing debate. Long, dense, but well worth a long sit and careful reading!

From the abstract:


The analysis finds that the Naval Academy has been
and continues to be the primary source of officer accessions during periods of reduced officer requirements in the Navy. Additionally, it finds that, while all naval officers perform superbly, U.S. Naval Academy graduates generally tend to have an advantage in performance during various points of their career. Due to this retention and performance differential, the larger initial cost of the education of Naval Academy graduates tends to yield a positive return to the Navy over an officer’s career. Recommendations include operating the Naval Academy at
full capacity, while maintaining the necessary flow of ROTC and OCS graduates.