Why Mark Zuckerberg’s wife Priscilla Chan founded a 'whole child' school in 2016 but shut it down after a decade

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s wife, Dr Priscilla Chan, co-founded The Primary School in East Palo Alto, California, in 2016 to support children from low-income families. The tuition-free private school was built around a “whole child” approach, combining education with services such as dental care, wellness coaching and early-intervention screenings.

For more than a decade, the school received over $125 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). However, despite its extensive support services and community involvement, the school struggled to consistently meet academic benchmarks, raising questions about whether its model could be replicated in public and charter schools.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, The Primary School closed its doors in June after 10 years of operation.

Why did the board decide to close The Primary School?

The school's board unanimously voted in April 2025 to shut down The Primary School after learning that CZI would not continue funding it beyond the 2025-26 academic year, people familiar with the matter told the Journal.

Board president Jean-Claude Brizard said he had presented CZI with several options for the school's future, including a gradual wind-down, before the vote. He said the board would not have proceeded with the closure without alignment from the school's primary funder.

CZI, however, said the decision ultimately belonged to the school's board and that its assessment focused on academic outcomes rather than the cost of running the school.

The closure also comes as CZI has shifted its philanthropic priorities in recent years, moving away from social initiatives and placing greater emphasis on scientific research.

The Primary School's mixed academic record

The school's academic results were mixed. A Stanford University report found that in spring 2025, 26% of local students in third grade and above at The Primary School exceeded state literacy standards, compared with 14% of students in the surrounding area and 47% statewide.

The school pointed to improvements among its older students, saying more than half of its eighth graders achieved grade-level proficiency in their final year. School staff also said students made steady academic progress after the pandemic, while showing improvements in wellbeing and social-emotional skills.

The school also reported strong participation in its health services. About 85% of its students completed their annual well-child visit, compared with 55% of children on Medicaid in the county.

Closure leaves families facing uncertainty

About 540 children were enrolled across The Primary School's two campuses.

For some families, the school had become an important source of both education and healthcare support. Mele Fakapelea, whose daughter was part of the school's founding class and who later enrolled four younger children, described the school as a “godsend” and said losing its support system was devastating.

Other parents criticised the way the closure was communicated. Angelica Cardenas, whose 3-year-old daughter and five nieces and nephews attended the school, said she learned about the shutdown through news reports rather than directly from the school.

Following the closure, students are being absorbed into the Ravenswood City Elementary School District. The district is preparing for the additional enrollment and renovating a campus to accommodate the incoming students without relying on portable classrooms.

What CZI is providing after the closure

CZI pledged $50 million when the closure was announced. The funding includes covering the remaining balance of the school's lease with the district and supporting local organisations that can continue providing some of the services previously offered by The Primary School.

CZI also committed $3.6 million toward education savings accounts for affected families. The assistance includes $10,000 per elementary school student, $2,500 per preschooler and $1,000 for children enrolled in early-childhood education programmes.

Priscilla Chan's role in the school

Chan co-founded The Primary School and served as its board chair for around eight years before stepping down in 2023. CZI remained the school's primary funder throughout its operation.

According to CZI, relying indefinitely on a single major donor was never intended to be the school's long-term funding model. The aim was eventually to create a system that could be sustained primarily through public funding. The school also sought to keep its per-student spending broadly comparable with that of public schools.

Brizard said Chan used her network to try to attract additional donors, but securing outside funding proved difficult because the school was already backed by one of the world's wealthiest individuals.

Chan had also expressed frustration with the school's academic performance. She told the Journal last year that the results were not where the school's leaders had hoped they would be.

The school's closure followed a broader strategic shift at CZI announced to staff in early 2025. Brizard said the timing of that shift and the decision to close the school was coincidental. CZI also said there was no evidence that Zuckerberg and Chan's attendance at President Donald Trump's inauguration had influenced the board's decision.