Ethiopia has given emphasis to the expansion of primary education to enhance the socio-economic transformation of its population. Because of its limitations to fund the expansion of the sector, however, the government has introduced privatization as means to shift costs to users. Due to this, a dual system of education has grown in the nation. To ensure that both types of schools provide equivalent education, the government has introduced a primary school measurement standard. So far, no study has been carried out whether these standards are met and if schools provide equitable education. The purpose of this study was to fill this gap and analyze whether public and private primary schools provide equitable education in Ethiopia. A multi-method research approach with a case study and survey perspectives was adopted to conduct the study. A total of 68 public and private schools were purposefully selected and 1,260 respondents participated in the study. Findings indicate that learning in private schools leads to more academic achievements than in public schools. Moreover, public schools don't meet the minimum quality standards required by the government. It was indicated that private schools differ from public schools for making rigorous selection of students, admitting students with appropriate age from families having higher levels of education. As compared to public schools, private schools provide more access to classrooms and teachers, attractive work environment, sufficient facilities, qualified teachers, enriched curricula and a school management focused on results. From these findings, it was implied that the government needs to upgrade public schools, keep an eye on irregular practices in private schools and control the mutation of public schools into private institutions.