A free private school serving 443 low-income students in East Palo Alto will close this summer, forcing families into a cash-strapped district that says it lacks adequate funding to absorb the influx.
The Primary School, founded in 2016 by pediatrician Priscilla Chan and funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative she runs with husband Mark Zuckerberg, announced April 17 it will shut down both its East Palo Alto and San Leandro campuses in June 2026. The school provided wraparound services including teachers, nurses and social workers supporting entire families, with 61% of students being Latino and more than half receiving special needs support.
The closure announcement, confirmed by NBC Bay Area and Palo Alto Daily Post, gave families just over a year to transition. School officials cited the foundation redirecting funds but provided no detailed explanation despite media requests. Spokesman Carson Cook said only that the school would work with families on the transition, while board chair Jean-Claude Brizard called the decision «difficult.» Neither Chan nor Zuckerberg has commented publicly in the year since the announcement.
The Ravenswood City School District, which serves East Palo Alto and part of Menlo Park, expects enrollment to jump about 20% — reversing a decade-long decline. The district faces a funding challenge because it relies on local property taxes and, unlike most California districts, doesn’t receive additional state funding when enrollment grows.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative allocated $26.5 million to help with the transition, but district officials say that’s insufficient. In February, the school board placed Measure A on the June 2 ballot — a $70 million bond to build classrooms at Costaño School of the Arts. Campaign materials cite The Primary School closure as a factor driving the need.
District Superintendent Gina Sudaria said Ravenswood is prepared to welcome the families and plans to adopt the school’s best practices. School board member Jenny Varghese Bloom described the situation as the district preparing for declining enrollment only to have The Primary School closure suddenly reverse that trend.
East Palo Alto City Council member Ruben Abrica, who advised Chan during the school’s launch, called the closure a loss but noted the school helped families during its eight years. Former East Palo Alto Mayor Antonio Lopez was more critical: «This is a betrayal. It’s cruel to build up a community’s hopes and then cut it all off.»
