The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) defines educational policies, coordinates their implementation and, as its main financer, ensures the smooth running of the educational system. Other ministries, the Autonomous Regions and municipalities also contribute towards funding.

The MECI finances its central and regional departments, as well as public education institutions, from the state budget.

It also subsidises private and cooperative basic and upper secondary education, according to the terms stipulated in the Private and Cooperative Education Statute.

These were the education budgets for 2023:

Pre-school, Basic and Upper Secondary Education

Source: Institute for Financial Management of Education (Instituto de Gestão Financeira da Educação - IGeFE). Notes: *The ‘School Social Action’ expenditure area includes Measures 019 (DGEstE + EEEBS) and 017 (Scholarships for HE students (EEEBS). (a) In 2022, sports and youth organisations (Office of the Secretary of State for Sport and Youth, Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth, Authority for Preventing and Combating Violence in Sport, Portuguese Anti-Doping Authority, National Erasmus+ Youth/Sport Agency and European Solidarity Corps and the Sports Foundation), as well as the activities and measures associated with them, ceased to be part of the MECI's organisational structure.

Science, Technology and Higher Education, Budget 2023

Source: Instituto de Gestão Financeira da Educação - IGeFE, CG - 2022. Note: The expenditure on "social action" includes the amounts established in the respective budget.

The European Commission has also funded education in Portugal through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Madeira and Azores receive transfers from the Government's budget to finance education in the respective regions, with the exception of higher education.