School Opened By Zuckerberg And Wife To Close After 10 Years, Parents Stunned

An elementary school opened by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, in California is set to close next year, much to the surprise of parents. The tuition-free school for low-income communities of colour was founded in 2016 by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) in East Palo Alto, just a few kilometres away from Meta's headquarters.

The parents were invited over for breakfast when the news of the abrupt closure was delivered to them, according to a report in The New York Times.

"After much deliberation, our schools in East Palo Alto and the East Bay will be closing at the end of the 2025-26 school year. This was a very difficult decision, and we are committed to ensuring a thoughtful and supportive transition for students and families over the next year."

"To sustain The Primary School's legacy, CZI will make a $50M investment over the next few years in the East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and East Bay communities."

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'Guy who's been giving money'

Emeline Vainikolo, a parent, said that her kindergartner son told her the reason for the school shutting down after hearing it from his teacher.

"'Mommy, the guy [Zuckerberg] who's been giving money to our school doesn't want to give it to us anymore,'" he told her.

The school started with just preschoolers, but was expected to eventually serve toddlers through eighth graders, adding one grade every year. The 2025-26 school year will be the first time it has offered eighth grade, and the last.

Though the school did not provide a reason for the closure, the announcement comes at a time when Mr Zuckerberg has taken a strong 180 on his social beliefs as he attempts to curry favour with the Trump administration.

At Meta, Mr Zuckerberg has already ended the diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, known as DEI. The company is said to be focusing on providing "fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background".