In the wake of studies with bilingual subjects around the world, the research that gave rise to this master's thesis sought to verify the possible improvement in two functions of cognitive functioning in children who, for some years, have been studying in institutions with bilingual programs. These two functions, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, were explored through the Wisconsin Test of Letter Sorting, and the Simon and Stroop tasks. Descriptive results indicate a slight advantage in the inhibitory control component. But the absence of statistical significance does not discourage: in this work, it was possible to deepen the discussion of the structure of bilingual education in prestigious schools, as has been common in Brazil, and also its motivations, its audience, and the possible consequences for the childhoods of now.