The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has decided to shut down two tuition-free private schools it started for low-income students in 2016, giving no explanation, though kicking down $50 million to help with the students’ transition to new schools.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan started their big-bucks philanthropy the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation in 2015, right after the birth of their first son, and several months after the couple paid to have SF General Hospital named after them. The idea was that the billionaire duo would give away 99% of the value of their Facebook stock, and indeed, the foundation has made sizable donations to some worthwhile causes.

One of those causes was the 2016 establishment of the Primary School, which is actually two schools, an elementary and middle school in East Palo Alto and a preschool in San Leandro. Both do not charge tuition, and both serve mostly Black and brown students. But they’ll both stop doing so soon, as the Chronicle reports that both schools announced they will be closing at the end of the 2025-26 school year.

“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,” the schools announced on their website. “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.”

There was no explanation given for the closures.

Though to cushion the sudden blow, the Initiative added it will “make a $50M investment over the next few years in the East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and East Bay communities.” While this investment is not detailed much, their release says they will invest in their hundreds of students’ transition to new schools, and “savings plans for all our students, to support their future learning.”

While no reason was provided, many in the tech business press are speculating that this is another attempt by Zuckerberg to more effectively suck up to the Trump administration. As Bloomberg points out, “The Primary School has prioritized diversity efforts, conducting an audit in June 2020 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests and establishing a DEI task force that fall.”

Related: Mark Zuckerberg Has Very Strange Statue Commissioned of His Wife [SFist]

Image: SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 05: Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg attend the 2025 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Barker Hangar on April 05, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)