September 17, 2025
The school stated the shut down stemmed from lack of funding.
Mark Zuckerberg is listed among the world’s richest men. His net worth is nearly $260 billion.
However, his surplus of riches could not keep his school for underserved children afloat. Developed in 2016 by Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, the Primary School served in-need children from struggling families within the Silicon Valley and East Bay areas of California.
The billionaire couple’s philanthropic arm, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, sustained the project with a roughly $100 million investment until 2024. According to Leravi, it allowed the school to fulfill its founders’ lofty mission of providing education, healthcare, and social services to the area’s most vulnerable community members.
However, the school could never find its own legs as CZI remained its primary support pillar. While the school aimed to level the playing field for young learners, the venture failed to secure funding outside of Zuckerberg. In fact, donations for the school were reduced by over half, with only $3.7 donated in 2023, and a steady decline was occurring.
With no money to maintain its budget, the school announced a closure in April. It will keep its doors open through 2026, but with no word on why CZI let the mission-fueled project fall.
However, sources told the New York Times that the final straw was CZI pulling out of their monetary commitment. The news disgruntled parents, part of The Primary School’s community, who expressed frustration with the choice given, Zuckerberg’s sizable pockets.
“He’s a billionaire. Why would he close a school for poor kids?” questioned one parent.
The Primary School did note that CZI would provide $50 million to sustain its legacy, including 529 education savings plans for its current students. Moving forward, CZI emphasized that it will shift its efforts and finances to support scientific research and artificial intelligence advancement.
However, parents called out Zuckerberg and Chan for scrapping their unsustainable education venture. They emphasized a responsibility on the billionaire founders to keep these promises, especially if their surplus of money allows it. They were also left confused by the monetary allotments granted to each student upon the news of the closure.
“If money was an issue, why are they offering up to $10,000 to each student? Where is that money coming from?” asked parent Sbeydy Pacheco to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The parting gift is meant to help parents find new schooling for their children after the following school year. These families say it’s not enough to cover any private schools in the area.
Now, as Zuckerberg and Chan shift their focus and funding away from local education, those left in their wake must forge their own way to a better future.
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