The present article discusses the privatization of public education in Brazil focusing on the undefined of frontiers between public and private schools. The study starts with a histori- cal analysis of public-private relationship showing that this duality is the result of a long historical process of the Brazilian educational system. Both the Jesuits and other religious institutions put in place different trajectories of education according to social class for whom it was directed. In addition, the article also discusses the development of a powerful private sector and strengthen its presence in the educational sector, with key role in the re- production of elites, has benefited from public funding, producing an unequal educational system. It is also to argue that the blurring of boundaries between the sectors of education through five main mechanisms: a) a suitable legislation supporting the private initiatives; b) a public financing for private legislations; c) increasing partnerships between public and private institutions; d) the supply of formatted pedagogic materials (‘apostilas') by private institution to public schools; e) the swap of students and teachers from public to private schools. It finally discuss the possibility of building new public policies able to tackle struc- tural educational inequalities.