New report shows that education remains a mirror of racial inequalities in Brazil
Kelly Baptista
By Kelly Baptista
The 2025 Brazilian Basic Education Yearbook, prepared by Todos Pela Educação, Fundação Santillana and Editora Moderna, sheds light on the persistent ethnic and racial inequality in the country’s education system. The publication’s 12th edition reveals significant disparities in access, completion of educational stages and the performance of Black and brown students compared with white students, underscoring the urgent need for public policies focused on equity.
One of the report’s most troubling findings concerns completion of Elementary Education. While 91.5% of white young people complete this stage by age 16, the same rate falls to 83.5% among brown young people and reaches just 80.9% among Black young people. The gap widens even further in Upper Secondary Education, with 79.4% of white young people completing this stage by age 19, compared with 66.6% of brown young people and 62.1% of Black young people.
Inequalities are also reflected in learning outcomes. The Yearbook indicates that white and Asian students consistently perform better in Portuguese Language and Mathematics assessments, while Black, brown and Indigenous students continue to have the lowest rates.
The report also addresses other aspects of public education, such as basic infrastructure, which remains a problem for millions of students. Fewer than half of public schools have sewage treatment, and more than 20% do not have garbage collection— a reality that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable communities.
What these Yearbook figures unequivocally reveal is that the lack of equity in Brazilian education is not a mere accident, but a reflection of the systemic barriers faced by the Black population. The absence of basic infrastructure, poor-quality technological connectivity and disparities in access to learning are symptoms of a larger problem: education, which should be a driver of social mobility, has remained a mirror of the country’s racial inequalities.
For this reason, the development of education policies must take the Amazonian Factor and the specific needs of each region into account, ensuring that the right to learning becomes a reality for all Brazilians, without distinction based on color or race.
Source: 2025 Brazilian Basic Education Yearbook
