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In 1940, the Portuguese Government approved the denominated “Plano dos Centenários,” a massive plan of primary school construction all over the country. The plan projected a 60% increase in the number of primary schools. Based on a thorough data collection and statistical analysis, we establish several facts regarding the situation of formal education and schooling levels in Portugal prior to the beginning of the plan by region, gender and type of school, as well as provide a description of the plan’s strategy regarding the location of new schools. In 1940, the distribution of schools was uneven at the geographical level, and there were great gender differences in educational achievement. The plan involved a larger relative expansion of schools in the most disadvantaged areas of the country. Finally, we describe the delays in the plan’s execution in a particular example, the Évora region.