The Primary School

What The Primary School does

The Primary School was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operated an integrated school model combining early childhood education, health care coordination, and family support services for children from birth through eighth grade and their families. Founded in 2016 by Priscilla Chan and Meredith Liu, the organization served families primarily in East Palo Alto (flagship site opened 2016, 443 children enrolled) and the East Bay/San Leandro (opened 2019-2021, 108 families enrolled), with a community-based enrollment approach and tuition-free access for all enrolled families. Demographics skewed heavily low-income: 98% of East Bay families qualified for California's State Preschool Program, 36% were single parents, families spoke six languages, and 58% of school-aged students at East Palo Alto had IEPs or received specialized support services.

Core programs included Early Family Foundations (ages 1-2), the K-8 School Program (starting at age 3), a Health Care Partnership (anchored by Kaiser Permanente at the East Bay site), and Parent Wellness Coaching. The proprietary element was not software but the integrated whole-child methodology developed over a decade, supported by partnerships with Stanford Center on Early Childhood for evaluation and Transcend for dissemination through four Resource Toolkits. The model also produced a documentary, a Community Cookbook (English/Spanish), and Health Education Videos developed with Osmosis.

The Primary School was tuition-free for families. Revenue came from philanthropic grants — most notably from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative — combined with public funding streams including California's State Preschool Program (CSPP), Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), nutrition programs, and special education funding. Distribution was direct through two physical sites plus national model dissemination via toolkits and curriculum partnerships (including Sesame Workshop). The organization announced in April 2025 that it would close at the end of the 2025-26 school year, with operations winding down through Summer 2026.

Name

The Primary School

Legal name

The Primary School

Website

https://theprimaryschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Primary School was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operated an integrated school model combining education, health care, and family support for children from birth through eighth grade in East Palo Alto and East Bay, California, serving over 550 families tuition-free before announcing closure at the end of the 2025-26 school year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary and Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Child Care Services (62441), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Preschool Programs within Private K–12 Schools (EDACABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic/School-Readiness Preschools (EDACABAB), Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Whole-child education
• Family support services
• Integrated school model
• Tuition-free private school

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Philanthropy and Donations: The Primary School is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (Federal tax identification number: 37-1975407) that relies primarily on philanthropic support. Donations are tax-deductible within U.S. law guidelines. The organization mentions they are winding down operations over Summer 2026.
2. Public Funding: The school has been transitioning to public funding sources including California State Preschool Program (CSPP), Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), nutrition programs, and special education funding. Their East Bay site opened under a California State Preschool Program contract in Fall 2021.
3. Tuition-Free Model: The school was founded as a private, tuition-free school to provide flexibility in program development and expanded services. Families do not pay tuition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Primary School operates an integrated, tuition-free school model combining early childhood education, health care coordination, and family support services for children from birth through 8th grade. The four core programs—Early Family Foundations (birth to age 2), the K-8 School Program, the Health Care Partnership with providers such as Kaiser Permanente, and Parent Wellness Coaching—are delivered at two physical sites in East Palo Alto and East Bay (San Leandro), California. The school has announced closure at the end of the 2025-26 school year, with operations winding down over Summer 2026.

Product overview

The Primary School operates a unified integrated school model that combines early childhood education, health care, and family support services into a single coherent program. The core offering consists of four interrelated programs: (1) Early Family Foundations (birth-to-three parent-child program), (2) the School Program (K–8 whole-child education from age 3 through 8th grade), (3) a Health Care Partnership (coordinating medical care with providers like Kaiser Permanente), and (4) Parent Wellness Coaching (individual coaching and group sessions for parents). Surrounding these core programs are dissemination resources including Health Education Videos (produced with Osmosis), a Community Cookbook (English/Spanish), Resource Toolkits developed with Transcend for external replication, a Learning & Impact Report with Stanford Center on Early Childhood, and a documentary film. The school has operated two physical sites (East Palo Alto opened 2016, East Bay/Hayward opened 2020) and is winding down operations over Summer 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Family Foundations A parent- and child-focused program supporting preschool readiness through parent-child resources and parent programming focused on communication and social-emotional development, serving children from birth through age 2 at both the East Palo Alto and East Bay sites.
• School Program A whole-child K-8 school program holding students accountable to academic, health, and social-emotional outcomes, starting full-time school at age 3 and growing through 8th grade. Includes social-emotional learning (SOUL), academic instruction, and integrated health supports.
• Health Care Partnership Partnership with existing health care providers (including Kaiser Permanente) to coordinate medical care for children, complemented by the school's own health promotion work in school and family programs, including developmental screenings, mental/behavioral health support, and social determinants of health.
• Parent Wellness Coaching
• Resource Toolkits A set of resource toolkits developed in partnership with Transcend to help schools, districts, and education providers replicate The Primary School's programming nationally. Includes toolkits for Bridge to Preschool, Medical Home Partnerships, Developmental Screening, and The Parent Program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 443 children enrolled in East Palo Alto school and Early Family Foundations programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Kaiser PermanentecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2019Partnership for East Bay program site in Hayward (now San Leandro). Kaiser Permanente staff from Sleepy Hollow Medical Offices support design of health care program including developmental screening, mental/behavioral health, social determinants of health, and parental support. Dr. Paul Espinas serves as Medical Director. Kaiser Permanente Northern California President Janet Liang leads partnership. Part of Kaiser Permanente's Thriving Schools Initiative.
• Tiburcio Vasquez Health CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2019Community health partner in East Bay. CEO David B. Vliet expressed shared belief that all families want children to access opportunities and achieve potential.
• YMCA of the East BayminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2019Community partner providing warm, safe, nurturing environment for programming in Hayward.
• Sesame WorkshopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2019Partnership to create and share innovative curriculum integrating social emotional learning and literacy for 3 to 5 year olds. Chan Zuckerberg Initiative funded the program. Curriculum draws on Sesame Workshop's Framework for School Readiness and The Primary School's integrated approach. Piloted at East Palo Alto site with plans to digitize and share nationally by end of 2020. Also piloted at Public Prep Network and FirstStepNYC in New York.
• LENAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign, Learning, and Dissemination partner listed on organization website. LENA focuses on early childhood language development.
• TranscendcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop Resource Toolkits making The Primary School's programming accessible to schools, districts, and education providers nationally. Toolkits cover Bridge to Preschool, Medical Home Partnerships, Developmental Screening, and The Parent Program.
• WuYeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign, Learning, and Dissemination partner listed on organization website. WuYee is an early childhood services organization.
• Stanford Center on Early ChildhoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Learning & Impact report and evaluation. SCEC's Continuous Improvement Rapid Cycle Learning and Evaluation (CIRCLE) team captured what The Primary School built, tried, and learned over 10 years.
• Ravenswood City School DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partnership in East Palo Alto. New lease and partnership announced July 2020. Located in the same community serving similar families.
• Alameda County Office of EducationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal partner supporting East Bay program operations and compliance.
• First 5 Alameda CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in East Bay supporting early childhood initiatives.
• Hayward Unified School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in East Bay/ Hayward area. Exploring opportunities to partner with the district.
• La FamiliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEast Bay community partner providing services to students and families.
• SenecaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEast Bay community partner providing services to students and families.
• Boys and Girls Club of the PeninsulaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner enriching classroom experiences in East Palo Alto.
• Stanford Children's HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner supporting East Palo Alto programming.
• Stanford Office of Child Health EquityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting child health equity initiatives.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stratford School: Private preschool through eighth-grade school network across California with a similarly integrated academic and enrichment model. Comparable as a private K-8 operator in California, though tuition-based rather than tuition-free.
• Public Prep Network: New York City charter network that piloted The Primary School's Sesame Workshop social-emotional/literacy curriculum. Directly comparable as an integrated, tuition-free, elementary-focused school network serving high-need families with non-traditional programming.
• Wu Yee Children's Services: San Francisco-based early childhood services organization listed as a Design, Learning, and Dissemination partner of The Primary School. Operates Head Start, Early Head Start, and family childcare programs serving low-income families in the same Bay Area region.
• FirstStepNYC: New York City early childhood program that piloted The Primary School's Sesame curriculum. Directly comparable as an early-childhood integrated-services provider serving underserved families with a similar two-generation philosophy.
• Children's Aid College Prep: NYC charter school operated by Children's Aid Society integrating academics with health, dental, mental health, and family support services. Closely aligned with The Primary School's whole-child, integrated-services operating model.
• Children's Institute (formerly Childhaven): Los Angeles-based nonprofit that merged with Children's Institute, providing early childhood, mental health, and family support services to vulnerable families. Comparable as an integrated early-childhood and family-services nonprofit operating a similar whole-child mission.

Regional players

• Summit Public Schools: California and Washington tuition-free public charter school network serving grades 6-12 with a personalized learning model. Comparable as a California-based tuition-free charter network serving underserved families, though older-grade focus.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Public Schools: National network of tuition-free public charter schools serving high-need communities with a college-preparatory mission and a longer school day/year model. Comparable in targeting underserved families but at dramatically larger scale and without the integrated health and parent coaching layer.
• Educare Network: National network of high-quality early childhood schools serving at-risk children birth-to-five with integrated family supports and health services. Comparable as an integrated ECE model at national scale, though focused on younger ages than TPS.
• Harlem Children's Zone: Pioneering cradle-to-career nonprofit running Promise Academy charter schools combined with social services for families in Central Harlem. Operates a much larger integrated-services model with similar whole-child philosophy, making it a relevant incumbent benchmark for scope and impact claims.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Primary School