The End of a Dream: Why Zuckerberg and Chan’s Pioneering School is Closing

In 2016, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan launched a bold initiative: a free school for low-income families in California’s Bay Area, the heart of Meta’s operations. Founded under their philanthropic arm, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), The Primary School was designed to offer a holistic model, integrating healthcare with education from birth to high school — a vision shaped by Chan’s background as a pediatrician.

However, The Primary School recently announced it will close its doors at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. Calling it a "very difficult decision," the school provided little explanation for its closure, delivering the news to hundreds of families across its two campuses with minimal detail about the reasons behind the move.

This surprising shutdown coincides with broader changes within CZI and Big Tech as a whole, particularly in the political climate shaped by Donald Trump's leadership. Parents were informed that CZI was withdrawing its support, according to reports from the San Francisco Standard and The New York Times. While a CZI representative cited a decision by the school's board, they declined to elaborate further on funding questions, although they did commit $50 million in aid to the affected communities.

Carson Cook, the school's senior manager of strategy and advancement, confirmed to CNN that meetings with families began last week to discuss the upcoming closure. Although Cook refrained from discussing specific reasons or timing, he emphasized that The Primary School remains committed to supporting children and their families throughout this transition period.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative itself has recently undergone a series of transformations. In February, CZI announced plans to cut both internal and external diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This followed a similar step by Meta, aligning with several other Trump-friendly shifts the tech giant has made in recent months. Notably, Zuckerberg and Chan attended Trump's inauguration in 2017, seated prominently among tech industry leaders.

When they founded CZI in 2015, Zuckerberg pledged to donate 99% of his Facebook shares, focusing on goals such as personalized learning, curing diseases, community building, and connecting people. The Primary School stood as one of the first tangible outcomes of this philanthropic vision. Chan once explained the school’s mission as an effort to combat "toxic stress" caused by poverty, neglect, or trauma, helping children build resilience through combined education and healthcare services.

The Primary School quickly became a model admired nationwide. Its medical director recently presented at SXSW on integrating healthcare with early childhood education to support vulnerable families. According to a 2023 tax filing, over 95% of the students enrolled were from underrepresented minority backgrounds, highlighting the school's critical role in the community. A key feature of the school was pairing families with "parent wellness coaches" to offer comprehensive support — a system that will continue helping families find new schooling options after the closure.

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg’s political posture has shifted. Once viewed as a potential challenger to Trump, he has pivoted closer to the former president, even calling him a “badass” after a failed assassination attempt and donating to his inauguration events. Meta also paid $25 million to settle Trump's lawsuit over his social media suspension, further reflecting the company's evolving political ties as it prepares for Trump's return to office.

With CZI shifting its focus toward scientific research and away from social advocacy, including immigration and racial equity projects, families at The Primary School are left grappling with yet another change brought by Big Tech's influence on the Bay Area. One parent lamented that the school had been a "gift" during the housing crisis and expressed sorrow over its loss. Still, the Primary School staff, according to Cook, are determined to make the most of their final year, giving students and families the best possible experience during this difficult transition.