This paper, jointly released by the Education for All Global Monitoring Report and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, shows that progress in reducing the number of children out of school has come to a virtual standstill just as international aid to basic education falls for the first time since 2002. It outlines how aid to education is decreasing at a time when 57 million children are denied their right to education, almost half of whom are expected never to enter a classroom. The finance gap for basic education has increased by US$10 billion over the last three years, primarily because aid donors have not kept their promises. The new aid data presented in this paper show that this year, aid donors are still not meeting their commitments. The energies being rallied to consider what plans and targets should be set for the future of our children must ensure sufficient financing to achieve them. The paper calls for the post-2015 goals to include a specific target for financing by aid donors.