In the first chapter of this volume, Haiti is classified as an extremely fragile, failing state. Within this category, Haiti can be further classified as a predatory state. This chapter dives deeper into Haiti’s historical political development to understand how it came to be a predatory state. Since winning its independence from France in 1804, Haiti has been locked into a continuous cycle of external exploitation and authoritarian rule that was perfected and systematized under the dual Duvalier regimes of François “Papa Doc” and his son, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” from 1957 to 1986. Despite a faltering transition to democracy in 1991, Haiti continues to languish under undemocratic regimes in which the state continues to serve the interests of a few rather than the needs of the many, a phenomenon that was only exacerbated after the 2010 earthquake. The authors explore how Haiti’s predatory state has historically shaped its education system, and how its precarious position as the only independent Black nation in the Western Hemisphere has limited its ability to provide public goods for its citizens and led to the majority of education being provided by private actors. The current realities of the education landscape in Haiti—particularly after the 2010 earthquake—are assessed, and a case is made that any serious efforts to improve both access to and quality of pre-primary, primary, and secondary education at scale in Haiti must include investment in private providers.