Tuition-Free School Founded by Zuckerberg to Close

A tuition-free school for low-income families in California's Bay Area founded by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan is closing after the couple's foundation reportedly withdrew support, according to CNN.

Officials for the Primary School, which has founded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) in 2016 to help low-income families and communities of color, announced this month that it  will permanently close at the end of the upcoming school year.

The San Francisco Standard and The New York Times reported that the decision was made because CZI decided to pull financial support, but representatives for CZI and the school board would not confirm those reports.

"After much deliberation, our schools in East Palo Alto and the East Bay will be closing at the end of the 2025–26 school year," the officials announced in a press release. "This was a very difficult decision, and we are committed to ensuring a thoughtful and supportive transition for students and families over the next year. To sustain The Primary School's legacy, CZI will make a $50M investment over the next few years in the East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and East Bay communities."

Carson Cook, senior manager of strategy and advancement at the Primary School, declined to comment on the reason for the school's closure or on CZI in an interview with CNN.

"At the Primary School, our model has always been one that carefully considers the needs of the whole family, and we want to do our absolute best to ensure that every child and their caregiver is supported," he said. "And I think what we just want to say is that that hasn't changed."

The move comes as Zuckerberg and Chan make widespread changes to how Meta and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative approach diversity. Both organizations eliminated diversity, equality, and inclusion programs earlier this year after President Donald Trump's inauguration, which Zuckerberg and Chan attended and to which they donated.

• Document: Zuckerberg Eyed Instagram Spinoff Amid Antitrust Scrutiny
• Zuckerberg Denies Meta Bought Rivals to Conquer Them