This article emphasizes aspects of rural primary education, based on an investigation of the Escola Primária Rural Santo Antônio (Santo Antônio Rural Primary School), which was founded in in 1932, in Pelotas, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and in 1946, began to receive subsidies from the State Government. The aim of this work was analyze how this institution, which is maintained by the Catholic Church, was well financed by public institutions, and to note aspects of the school’s culture. We investigated school documents, such as photographs and minutes of meetings of the Sociedade de Educação Cristã (Society for Christian Education), which was created in 1930 and is linked to the Catholic Church. Our theoretical and methodological foundation was based on authors such as Abdala (2013); Souza (2001; 2008); Kossoy (1989); Tambara (1995; 2000; 2005) and Severino (2005), among others. We conclude that that institution served the poor community of Pelotas, and had strong agricultural content, such that it was maintained, almost entirely by Federal Government funds, as it served the nationalist civil ideals that were prevalent at that time.