Mark Zuckerberg & Priscilla Chan-Backed 'Unique School' Shuts Down After A Decade & $125 Million Investment

The Primary School, a tuition-free institution co-founded by Dr. Priscilla Chan in East Palo Alto, California, has shut its doors after a decade of operation, following a board decision to close once its main funder, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), declined to extend support beyond the 2025-26 academic year.

Why the board voted to close?

According to WSJ, the Primary School's board voted unanimously in April 2025 to shut down after learning CZI would not continue funding the school past this academic year. Board president Jean-Claude Brizard said he had laid out several paths forward for CZI, including a phased wind-down, and added that the board would not have voted to close without the funder's alignment.

A CZI spokesperson said the final call rested with the school's board, and that the organisation's focus had been on academic outcomes rather than cost. The closure also reflects a broader pivot within CZI, which has shifted its philanthropic priorities in recent years from social causes toward scientific research.

A mixed academic record

Founded in 2016, the school combined free education with wraparound services such as dental care, wellness coaching and early screenings, aiming to support the 'whole child'. Over more than ten years, it received upward of $125 million from CZI. Even so, academic outcomes often lagged state benchmarks, complicating hopes of replicating the model in public and charter schools. A Stanford University study found that in spring 2025, just 14 percent of local third-graders and above met state literacy standards, compared with 26 percent at the Primary School and 47 percent statewide. The school pointed to brighter spots elsewhere: eighth-graders who had attended for a decade showed over 50 percent grade-level proficiency in their final year, and a founding staff member said students made steady academic gains post-pandemic alongside improvements in wellbeing. On the health side, about 85 percent of students completed their annual well-child visit, versus 55 percent among Medicaid-enrolled children in the county.

Impact on families

Roughly 540 children were enrolled across the school's two campuses. Mele Fakapelea, whose daughter won a lottery spot in the school's founding class before she enrolled four younger children too, called it "a godsend school" and said losing its support network felt devastating, the Journal reported. Angelica Cardenas, whose three-year-old daughter and five nieces and nephews attended, said she found out about the closure through news reports rather than the school itself, and argued families should have been informed sooner. Displaced students are set to be absorbed into the Ravenswood City Elementary School District, which is renovating a campus to accommodate the enrollment surge without resorting to portable trailers.

What CZI is providing as the school winds down

CZI pledged $50 million when the closure was announced, covering the school's remaining lease obligations with the district and funding local organisations to keep some services running. The initiative also put $3.6 million toward education savings accounts for affected families - $10,000 per elementary student, $2,500 per preschooler and $1,000 for children in early-childhood programmes.

Chan's hands-on role

Chan served as the Primary School's co-founder and board chair for about eight years until 2023, with CZI as its sole major backer throughout. According to CZI, relying indefinitely on one funder was never the intended model; the goal was a school that could eventually run largely on public investment, and it reportedly tried to keep per-pupil spending near typical public-school levels. Brizard said Chan actively lobbied her network for additional funding, though attracting outside donors proved difficult given perceptions that the school already had backing from one of the world's wealthiest individuals. Chan had previously been candid about her disappointment with academic results, telling the Journal last year that outcomes weren't where anyone had hoped.

Published on: Monday, August 24, 2026, 03:11 PM IST