For four years, a Silicon Valley compound operated an unlicensed private school serving 35 to 40 students in one of Palo Alto’s most exclusive neighborhoods. The “Bicken Ben School,” named after the family’s pet chicken, ran without required city permits from 2021 through mid-2025, violating local zoning laws that prohibit private schools in residential areas. The operation finally closed in August 2025 after city officials issued an ultimatum, but questions remain about whether the school simply relocated rather than ceased operations entirely.
The Compound Takes Shape
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan began consolidating Crescent Park properties in 2011, eventually spending over $110 million on 11 homes across 14 years. The couple transformed the neighborhood into an extended construction zone, with 56 city permits issued for various projects, including 7,000 square feet of underground space that neighbors refer to as “bunkers.” Construction activity persisted from 2016 through 2025, disrupting residential life with equipment, noise, and blocked driveways. During periods of intense construction, Zuckerberg’s staff distributed noise-canceling headphones, wine, and donuts to affected neighbors—a gesture that underscored the scale of disruption rather than resolving underlying tensions.
The Unlicensed School
State records show the Bicken Ben School enrolled nine students in 2022, growing to 14 by 2025, though neighbors reported observing 15 to 30 students at drop-off times. A June 2025 job advertisement claimed enrollment of 35 to 40 students. Sara Dunleavy Berge ran the Montessori-curriculum school with six staff members, including four non-resident teachers. California and Palo Alto law explicitly prohibit private schools in residential areas without a special conditional use permit requiring public hearings and neighbor approval. The Zuckerbergs never applied for such a permit during the school’s four-year operation, making it illegal under local ordinances.
Neighborhood Resistance and Documentation
Neighbors collected 1,665 pages of evidence documenting the school’s operation and broader concerns about the compound’s expansion. Complaints began in February 2019 and continued through 2023, with intensified concerns by December 2024. Michael Kieschnick, who has owned his home for 30 years and declined Zuckerberg’s purchase offers, told The New York Times: “No neighborhood wants to feel overtaken. That’s what has occurred.” Other families moved as Zuckerberg acquired adjacent properties. Residents also reported surveillance concerns, noting that security cameras on Zuckerberg properties recorded neighboring yards, and security personnel had approached residents on public sidewalks.
City Enforcement and Closure
By December 2024, Palo Alto’s Planning Director Jonathan Lait informed the Zuckerbergs’ lawyer that the school was operating illegally. The lawyer argued the classes constituted an “appropriate residential use” and attempted to reclassify the operation as a daycare, which failed. In March 2025, city officials issued a cease-and-desist order requiring closure by June 30, 2025, with potential fines for non-compliance. State records indicate Bicken Ben School closed in August 2025—six weeks after the deadline. By September, neighbors confirmed they no longer observed student drop-offs.
Relocation or Closure?
City spokesperson Meghan Horrigan-Taylor stated the city “believed the school had closed.” However, Brian Baker, Zuckerberg’s spokesperson, claimed the school “didn’t close but relocated” to an undisclosed location. A June 2025 job advertisement mentioned the school operates at “multiple campuses,” raising questions about whether the operation simply moved rather than ended. The location and status of the relocated school remain unknown, leaving unresolved whether the family obtained proper permits elsewhere or continues operating outside regulatory oversight. The situation illustrates how affluent families navigate local regulations governing private education, and whether enforcement ultimately proves consistent across all residents regardless of wealth.