Mark Zuckerberg and pregnant wife Priscilla Chan starting private Palo Alto school for disadvantaged children

• Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan are opening a school for disadvantaged youth
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• The Primary School in East Palo Alto will open next August and be completely free to students and their families 
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• The couple is funding the comprehensive preschool and K-8 school and Chan is serving as the CEO
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• Chan is pregnant with the couple's first child
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• Forbes recently put Zuckerberg's wealth at $44.9billion making him the seventh richest American 

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have announced their latest charitable venture.

The Facebook founder and his pregnant wife are creating a private school in East Palo Alto to serve disadvantaged youths and their families.

The Primary School - a comprehensive preschool and K-8 school - will open this August, and Chan will serve as Chief Executive Officer.

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New endeavor: The Primary School CEO Priscilla Chan (left) with the COO of The Primary School Meredith Liu (right)

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Busy time: Chan and husband Mark Zuckerberg announced they were expecting their first child over the summer

The San Jose Mercury News reports that once the school is finished it will be able to serve 700 children and their families.

The school will open in August in a temporary location with two infant and toddler classes and one preschool class.

Each year an additional grade will be added with 50 children accepted into each class. A lot was recently purchased to build the home of the actual school.

It is not known how much the couple will contribute annually to keep the school running, though it will likely be a drop in the bucket with Forbes recently estimating Zuckerberg to be worth $44.9billion, making him the seventh richest person in the United States.

Chan meanwhile bring experience having worked as a tutor for disadvantaged youth in college, and later as a science teacher. 

The couple have donated large amounts to education in the past, including $100 million gift to New Jersey schools and $7.5million in college scholarships to undocumented students.

'It's really going to help the city as a whole,' said East Palo Alto Mayor Lisa Gauthier.

Chan spent two years talking to residents in the area and doing research before beginning work on her idea for the school. 

'My experiences of running an after school program in a low income housing project and working as a pediatrician in a safety net hospital has shown me first hand that we need a better way of caring for and educating our children,' wrote Chan on her Facebook page about the new endeavor.

'The effects of trauma and chronic stress create an invisible burden for children that makes it very difficult for them to be healthy and live up to their academic potential. We must address these issues holistically in order to allow children to succeed.'

She then added; 'For the past year, our small team has been working with East Palo Alto and Belle Haven families, educators and leaders to develop a model to address these complex needs. The work is ongoing and we look forward to sharing as we make progress!'