A California school cofounded by Mark Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan, that championed DEI values is closing next year after a decade of operation.
The Primary School, a tuition-free private school with locations in East Palo Alto and East Bay, California, is shutting its doors at the end of the 2025-26 school year, it announced on its website. It was cofounded by Chan and Meredith Liu, an educator, and opened its first location in 2016. Liu died in 2023.
The school said it made the decision to close "after much deliberation."
"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," the announcement said.
The school has served hundreds of students, from those as young as 1 year old up to middle school age pupils.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Chan and Zuckerberg's science-focused philanthropic organization, plans to spend $50 million over the next few years in the schools' communities to support the transition, including through 529 education savings plans for students and transition specialists for families.
The school's website highlights its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Zuckerberg's businesses have recently rolled back such initiatives.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative told staff in February it was ending its DEI efforts "given the shifting regulatory and legal landscape" after initially assuring employees it'd remain committed to DEI, The Guardian reported.
In January, Meta ended its own DEI programs, similarly citing "the shifting legal and policy landscape."
The moves could signal further efforts by the Zuckerbergs to stay on the Trump administration's good side for his second term in office, especially after President Donald Trump frequently lambasted Zuckerberg, Meta, and Big Tech more broadly in his first four years in the White House.
Meta was one of the first companies to donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund this time around, and Zuckerberg and Chan were among the billionaire "tech broligarchy" elites who sat in the front row at Trump's inauguration. Meta was also one of several corporate sponsors for the White House's recent Easter Egg Roll.
A spokesperson for The Primary School declined to comment beyond what was posted on its website.
Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at sjackson@bjinnox.com. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.
