This document outlines an institutional research project on elementary educational institutions in Portugal between the public and private sectors. The project's main goals are to contribute knowledge about primary schools in Portugal and discuss the role of public and private initiatives in their evolution. Undergraduate and master's students will conduct research through surveys, data gathering, analysis and interpretation to map schools, characterize them, and draft biographies under faculty guidance. The research aims to provide data for further studies and create databases, maps, archives and a virtual museum.