The Primary School, praised for offering free education and healthcare, will close after 2025–26 amid shifting priorities at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
In a decision that has left families reeling, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have announced the abrupt closure of The Primary School, a free educational institution they founded in 2016 to serve low-income families in East Palo Alto, California.
The school, which offered a unique blend of academics and healthcare services for underprivileged children, is scheduled to close its doors at the end of the 2025–2026 school year. Parents say the decision came without explanation, blindsiding a community that had come to rely on the institution as a vital lifeline in the region.
Parents shocked by sudden announcement
The New York Times first reported the closure, which was disclosed to parents during what was billed as a routine breakfast meeting featuring bagels, fruit, and Starbucks coffee. During the gathering, school officials revealed that The Primary School would shut down, yet offered no clear reason for the move.
One parent recalled their child overhearing a conversation among teachers and later telling them, “Mommy, the guy who’s been giving money to our school doesn’t want to give it to us anymore.”
Families say they were left in disbelief. “Now they’re gonna take this (school) away too. It seems unfair,” one parent told the San Francisco Standard, citing the broader displacement caused by the tech boom in Silicon Valley, where highly paid tech workers have contributed to soaring housing prices that have forced many long-time residents out of their neighborhoods.
A mission interrupted
Founded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the school had promised to revolutionize early childhood education by integrating academics with comprehensive healthcare services. Located just minutes from Meta’s corporate headquarters in Menlo Park, the school became a beacon of hope for underserved families in the area.
Its closure, however, reflects a broader strategic pivot by the philanthropic organization.
CZI pivots away from local social programs
In February, CZI announced that it would be “winding down” many of its social advocacy efforts to focus more heavily on scientific initiatives. That transition includes stepping back from investments in education, immigration reform, racial equity, and internal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming.
A community left behind
For many East Palo Alto families, The Primary School represented more than just an educational institution—it was a symbol of hope and stability amid mounting economic pressures. The announcement of its closure leaves parents scrambling for alternatives, with few comparable options available in the area.
As the community grapples with the looming shutdown, questions remain unanswered. Chief among them: why was a school praised for its innovative, holistic model of care and education suddenly deemed expendable?
While the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative continues to expand its influence in the realms of biomedical research and tech-driven philanthropy, families in East Palo Alto are left to reckon with the fallout—and a future without the school they believed would help change their children’s lives.