Mark Zuckerberg's Wife Priscilla Chan's Tuition-Free School To Shutdown, $50 Million Support Pledged For Transition

The Primary School, a tuition-free private institution co-founded by Priscilla Chan, wife of Meta Platforms Inc. founder Mark Zuckerberg, will shut down after the 2025-2026 school year, the organization announced.

What Happened: Founded in 2016, the school aimed to integrate healthcare, education, and family support by bringing together parents, educators, and medical providers to serve underserved communities. The school currently operates two locations in East Palo Alto and East Bay, California.

“This was a very difficult decision,” said Jean-Claude Brizard, President of the school’s board, in a statement. The closure comes despite Chan and Zuckerberg’s continued investment in education and scientific research through their Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). The school has not publicly disclosed specific reasons for the closure.

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To support the transition, CZI will invest $50 million over the next few years in the affected communities. The investment includes funding for 529 education savings plans for students, transition specialists, and support for families moving to new schools.

Why It Matters: Some students will join the Ravenswood City School District, which has collaborated with The Primary School since its inception.

The school’s innovative approach was designed to address systemic challenges facing underserved communities by creating a comprehensive support network for children from infancy through early adolescence. It currently serves over 300 families in East Palo Alto.

While The Primary School is closing, CZI continues its broader mission through recently announced scientific “grand challenges” focused on the artificial intelligence-biology intersection to advance human health, including the development of an AI-based virtual cell model and new inflammation measurement tools.

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