Chan Zuckerberg school to close, $50m pledged to community
The school, supported by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, operating in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States, has announced its closure after 10 years of operation. What is behind this decision?
Main information
- The school was founded by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg in 2016.
- The institution will close after the 2025-2026 school year.
- Chan Zuckerberg Initiative will invest $50 million in local communities.
The school, initiated by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, aimed to support two communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since its founding in 2016, the institution has offered free education for children from low-income families, focusing on integrating education, healthcare, and family support.
After 10 years of operation, the school announced it would end its activities after the 2025-2026 school year. In an announcement on the school's website on April 17 at 11:00 a.m. EDT, no specific reason was given for the closure.
The closure of the school does not mean the end of support for local communities. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the couple's charitable foundation, will allocate $50 million to support the regions of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and East Bay.
The decision to close was difficult, but CZI has committed to supporting students and their families in transitioning to new schools. The organization also plans investments in education savings plans for all the school's students to aid in their further education.
Priscilla Chan co-founded the school with teacher Meredith Liu, who passed away in 2023. The school was known for promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion, which was particularly significant in the context of DEI policy changes at Meta, Zuckerberg's company.
Mark Zuckerberg: A visionary of the digital era
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta Platforms, is one of the most influential and, at the same time, controversial figures in modern technology. From creating a social network in a Harvard University dorm room to ambitious plans to build the metaverse, his history is a journey from coder to a global leader in the digital world.
Zuckerberg has often been under fire for criticism, ranging from accusations of insufficient content moderation to user data scandals (such as Cambridge Analytica) and charges of market monopolization.
Although his company has a tremendous impact on global communication, it equally often sparks discussions about privacy, ethics, and technological responsibility.
