The Basque School, as well as a type of school, is an educational phenomenon that emerged and underwent most of its development during the twentieth century. Some initial confusion existed between the terms "Basque school," "bilingual school" and "ikastola," due to the undefined nature of the Basque model of schooling during this early period. These schools introduced a new model of education and pursued a common aim: to restore the Basque language and culture. This paper has several objectives: the first is to analyze the educational and linguistic policies of the Spanish state leading up to the first demands from Basque intellectuals in this respect and the subsequent origins of these schools; the second is to examine the ideological principles on which the schools were founded; and the third and final aim is to describe the origins of the three Basque Schools in Navarre. By looking into the history of the creation of this type of school, which evolved in a Basque setting, the author hopes to find support for new elements of comparison to enrich the framework for historiography of educational research at national and international levels. (Contains 1 figure and 125 footnotes.)