'Guy who’s been giving money...': Zuckerbergs to shut down free school only after 10 years

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are shutting down the free school they were running in the Bay Area. The parents say they were not given any plausible reason for the sudden decision. The school opened in 2016 and is now being closed abruptly.

The Primary School, founded in 2016 by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, provided free schooling and health care to low-income families. It is located in the East Palo Alto area, a short distance from Meta’s headquarters. 

The school has announced it would shut its doors at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Parents are shocked by the announcement and find themselves stuck.

The news was first reported by The New York Times. A parent told the publication that the school invited the parents to a breakfast of bagels, fruit, and Starbucks coffee. This was when they informed them about the school's closure, although no specific reason was provided.

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The Times reported that a child overheard his teachers and told her mother, "Mommy, the guy who’s been giving money to our school doesn’t want to give it to us anymore."

Zuckerberg has changed his plans dramatically since Donald Trump became the president. Zuckerberg and Chan’s nonprofit, CZI, announced in February that it would focus more on science and "wind down" its social advocacy work. This includes investments in immigration reform and racial equity grantmaking, as well as internal DEI programs. 

Notably, Zuckerberg has changed things at his company.  Meta’s DEI programs have ended the social media platform has also scrapped its fact-checking policies. It now uses a "Community Notes" model, similar to what Elon Musk uses at X. He also donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund through Meta and was part of the billionaires group present at Trump's inauguration. 

The families say the entry of hundreds of highly-paid tech workers in Silicon Valley created a housing crisis for the residents who were being forced out of their homes after landlords got higher offers. "Now they’re gonna take this (school) away too. It seems unfair," a parent told the San Francisco Standard.