In Portugal, policies to promote school success and improve education are rooted on the principles of equality of opportunities and social justice. This paper looks at the TEIP (Educational Territories of Priority Intervention) programme, which was implemented in 1996 and is inspired by similar measures in France, England, and the United States. By granting greater autonomy and implementing positive discrimination measures—such as additional funding, strengthened human resources, and diversified educational offer —the programme aims to enable schools to develop improvement plans tailored to their local contexts, with the primary goal of enhancing educational success. As part of the TEIP programme, schools are provided with resources such as teachers and mediators and alongside learning networks and partnerships with higher education institutions are established. Furthermore, regional teams from the Ministry of Education support participating schools and facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of their educational goals, methodologies, and improvement strategies. Despite these efforts, significant challenges remain, even though the Portuguese education system has improved considerably over the last 25 years and diverse case studies highlight the various benefits of the TEIP (Abrantes et al., 2013; Sampaio & Leite, 2015; Costa & Almeida, 2022). While legislative progress has been made, the uneven implementation of compensatory measures within a top-down accountability framework continues to risk perpetuating inequities, particularly in regions already affected by high rates of school failure and social exclusion (Linda-Hammond, 2007; Silva, 2014). This territorial dimension is particularly critical, as regional disparities — especially in Portugal's inland and border regions — affect access to education, employment opportunities, and public services. Inequalities between regions emphasise the critical importance of addressing social and educational justice, as the structures of society and territory continue to shape life chances (Farrugia, 2013; Furlong et al., 2019). Using a mixed methods approach—including interviews, document analysis, secondary data analysis, and questionnaires (Braun & Clarke, 2013)—this study critically examines the extent to which TEIP promotes educational improvement and social justice in schools in disadvantaged regions of Portugal. Findings indicate that while localized autonomy has facilitated innovative practices, the TEIP accountability structure often fails to capitalise local idiosyncrasies. This may limit the programme’s capacity to address the multidimensional nature of justice, encompassing redistribution, recognition, and representation (Fraser, 2008). This emphasises the importance of shared accountability frameworks in promoting a more democratic educational environment (Smith & Benavot, 2019) and reducing systemic disparities.

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