Mark Zuckerberg’s Primary School initiative for low-income families to close in 2026 “very difficult decision”
Parents feel betrayed as Zuckerberg-backed school that combined education, health and family support for underserved kids prepares to shut down.
The Primary School, a tuition-free school for low-income families in East Palo Alto, California, is closing at the end of the 2025-26 school year, the organisation said in a statement.
The school was opened in 2016 by Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan. The school was funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). No specific reason was given for the closure, beyond the fact that CZI was withdrawing its support.
Many parents and those connected with the school expressed betrayal at the decision, and highlighted how little the school cost to run compared with the wealth of Zuckerberg.
One parent told local newspaper the San Francisco Standard that the school had been a “gift to the community.” “Now they’re gonna take this away too,” she said.
The school said CZI will donate $50 million over five years to the communities and families affected by the shuttering.
What did the Primary School do?
The Primary School was an ambitious educational program aimed at addressing systemic inequities by bringing together education, healthcare and family services. The school served children primarily from low-income Latino families, many of whom required specialized educational and/or health support.
Changes at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
CZI itself has been undergoing changes recently, with the organization saying it would cut internal and external diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. This comes amid a broader rollback of such programs following Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January and his administration’s escalating “war on woke.”
CZI also said it would turn its focus to science and close its investment in “social advocacy”, stopping its work on immigration reform and racial equity grants.
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