A MESSAGE FROM THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Primary School was founded in 2016 on the guiding principle that raising a child is a team effort. Too often, our country’s systems of care are siloed and don’t adequately address a child’s varied needs. The Primary School model breaks down those silos by bringing together the adults in a child’s life — including parents, educators, and health providers — starting from an early age.
Our approach is novel, integrating health care, education, and family support. We have learned that this approach can empower children and families to learn, be well, and thrive — in school and in life. We are tremendously proud of what our children, families, staff, and partners have achieved, especially in light of a world that often erects the highest barriers for those with the fewest resources.
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. While more details will come, immediate support will include:
Investments in 529 education savings plans for all our students, to support their future learning.
Transition specialists and support for families as they navigate the transition to new schools.
In the East Bay, we will be supporting children and families to access preschool and kindergarten options in the community. In East Palo Alto, where The Primary School has worked closely with Ravenswood City School District since our founding, we will continue to collaborate as the District welcomes many of our families. Over the years the District has added dedicated family engagement roles, strengthened health programs, and expanded early childhood care. We look forward to sharing our learnings to support their bolstering of crucial student and family services.
We are grateful to our community, which has supported our vision over the years: the families who trusted us with their wellbeing and that of their children, the teachers and staff who made this work possible, and our partners who brought their time and talents to the mission. To our local partners in East Palo Alto and the East Bay in particular, we extend our most sincere appreciation — both for the efforts you have made to date and for the care we know you will extend our families as we work over the course of the next year to support their transition to new school environments.
“We have been deeply humbled by the support of so many during our journey. Our community and partners have made a lasting impact on children and families, and helped us demonstrate what is possible when we think and operate differently. We know that our partners in the Ravenswood City School District and the East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and East Bay communities will work to ensure our students and families are cared for, and we appreciate that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative will support those efforts through a $50 million commitment, over five years, that invests in parent engagement programs, early childhood education, and healthcare services across these communities, and helps maintain critical support for TPS families that join the District.”
— Jean-Claude Brizard, The Primary School Board Chair
Though The Primary School as it exists today will be coming to an end, we sincerely hope that what we have learned and shown to be possible will live on. We will entrust our partners in this work — both our direct collaborators and our compatriots across the education and health fields — to carry the torch for all families, but especially the most vulnerable. Our belief in our guiding principle has not wavered, and we know that it will take all of us to work toward a future where our children and families can grow, learn, and thrive no matter the circumstances.
From all of us at The Primary School, thank you.
