In thinking about how a just state should assess and respond to inequalities in the distribution of particular goods, such as health and education, attention should be paid, first, to the causes of inequality with respect to these goods, and second, to the question of whether it is possible, and, if possible, morally appropriate, to enact policy aiming to counteract these causes. I argue that similar kinds of causes lead to inequalities in health and in education, but that features specific to the area of education make the case for state action aiming to achieve equality if anything more stringent in education than it is in the area of health.