The Bachilleratos Populares, or Bachis, are an important expression of the tradition of Latin American educación popular, but are little known in Italy. These schools are one of the relevant political-pedagogical experimentations born from the encounter of the tradition of educación popular with the new Latin American social movements at the beginning of the 2000s. The history of the Bachilleratos Populares, the praxis and the political-pedagogical reflection that they have produced, the debates that have arisen from the different positions of the movements, are incredibly rich. With this contribution, I aim first of all to frame the Bachilleratos Populares movement in the history of Latin American educación popular, particularly in the context of the social movements of Buenos Aires. Secondly, I intend to narrate the reality of schools by describing their characteristics and objectives, such as the accessibility of the educational institution, its radical fficialization, the revision of traditional pedagogical relations, and the construction of new ecologies of knowledge. In the last part of the paper, I will trace the debates that have arisen from political contingencies in the twenty years of the Bachis’ history, highlighting different positions with respect to certain significant issues, such as fficialization, state educational offer, the role of teachers, repressive policies and self-management at the time of the pandemic.