The Primary School, a tuition-free private educational institution co-founded by Priscilla Chan and served 543 students, is set to close after nearly a decade of operation. The school operates from two locations in the San Francisco area and will cease its activities following the 2025-2026 academic year. To continue supporting the communities it serves, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), a philanthropic organization established by Chan and her husband Mark Zuckerberg, plans to invest $50 million over the coming years in the areas of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and the East Bay.
According to a statement on the school’s website, the decision to close was challenging, and efforts will be made to ensure a smooth transition for students and their families in the coming year. Carson Cook, a spokesperson for the school, provided no further comments beyond the official statement.
Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician, co-founded The Primary School in 2016 with a model focusing on integrated health and education, catering to families and children from birth through high school. The inaugural middle school class began in 2023. The most recent tax filings show that over 95% of the students from the East Palo Alto location are from underrepresented minority groups. At the end of June 2023, the school reported having more than $30 million in assets.
Similar initiatives by billionaires have emerged in recent years. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Larry Ellison have each launched educational establishments. Musk’s nonprofit, the Musk Foundation, has funded $237 million toward creating a technology-oriented primary and secondary school in Austin, with plans for a university. This institution, Ad Astra School, collaborates with the company that assisted Ellison in founding the Hala Kahiki Montessori School in Lanai, Hawaii. Bezos has established a network of Montessori-inspired preschools for underprivileged children.
The closure of The Primary School coincides with sweeping reforms by Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Meta Platforms Inc., to align more closely with the Trump administration’s policies. Changes include appointing Trump allies to Meta’s board and appointing a Republican strategist to oversee global affairs, while eliminating certain U.S. fact-checking programs and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives both at Meta and at CZI.
In terms of diversity, The Primary School conducted an audit in June 2020 following the Black Lives Matter protests and initiated a DEI task force later that year.
