Studies about pombalism are permeated by paradoxes and very often present ideological caricatures. In this sense, it is necessary to revisit the historiography that addresses this period (1750-1777), looking at it from a critical perspective. Therefore, this paper, which deals specifically with public instruction, aims to analyze the representations of Pombaline education reforms found in books and journals. Eight groups of representation emerged from the data reviewed: Pombal as a unifier, liberator of indigenous people, public school creator, revolutionary, efficient, modernizer, promoter of decadence in education, and powerful/centralizer.