Investigations into the Brazilian education system indicate the system's inadequacies in democratizing education. Instead, education is accessible to those who can afford it and not to those who most need it. Although research evidence consistently shows the positive relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and school access and performance as well as the level and equality of education, this relationship is mediated by other factors that include curriculum, methodology, availability of resources, length of period at school, and student/teacher characteristics. The paper also discusses the regional dimension of disparities which has important implications for educational planning for both political and technical reasons. Previous studies of inter- and intra-regional disparities of education in the state of Espirito Santo are also analyzed. A list of references is included.(KWL)