The wildfires in early January disrupted training for greater than 725,000 college students and destroyed or broken no less than a dozen colleges. A number of college districts, together with Alhambra Unified, Pasadena Unified, San Marino Unified and Glendale Unified, closed inside the first few days of the fires. Faculties within the central and japanese a part of Los Angeles Unified Faculty District closed resulting from energy outages and poor air high quality.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an govt order on Jan. 14 permitting college students to attend colleges exterior of their regular district boundaries. Most college students moved virtually instantly, with colleges reporting a bump in enrollment within the first month postfires. Many fire-displaced college students will stay at their new colleges this fall.
The county doesn’t instantly observe transfers because of the wildfires. The Occasions surveyed dozens of colleges and districts and obtained detailed data for about 1,655 college students displaced by the fires throughout 16 districts and 15 particular person colleges. In complete, these colleges are house to greater than 132,000 college students. The Occasions’ estimates are based mostly on information by way of Could 2025.
Within the Los Angeles Unified Faculty District, Palisades Constitution Elementary Faculty and Marquez Constitution Elementary had been destroyed. LAUSD disenrolled no less than 170 college students, roughly 4% of complete enrollment on the eight colleges the district supplied information for. Palisades Constitution Excessive Faculty was considerably broken and closed, with lessons now held on the reworked Sears constructing in Santa Monica. Officers on the constitution college say the district misplaced 474 college students after the Palisades fireplace.
Pali Excessive college students transferred to Mira Costa Excessive and Beverly Hills Excessive. Fifty-four college students went to Santa Monica Excessive, only some blocks from the previous Sears website the place the college relocated to within the spring.
Roughly 321 college students enrolled in six seashore metropolis college districts with the bulk displaced by the close by Palisades fireplace. Mira Costa Excessive Faculty enrolled probably the most college students out of any college that responded to The Occasions, with 107 college students. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified Faculty District accepted 135 new college students of their district, with almost half of these being elementary college students.
The Village Faculty, a non-public elementary college within the Palisades, was destroyed and is quickly in Santa Monica. The varsity experiences that just below 20% of households left the world. Those that didn’t relocate are dedicated to the college: 96% of them reenrolled for the 2025-2026 college 12 months.
Glendale Unified Faculty District took in 51 college students, whereas La Cañada Unified took in 60. The inflow of scholars from the fires has barely elevated class sizes at some colleges in Glendale Unified, however a district consultant mentioned they’ve added lecturers and adjusted staffing accordingly.
“We’re dedicated to welcoming each household displaced by the fires with fast enrollment, college placement and the help they should really feel at house and succeed,” mentioned a consultant for Glendale Unified.
Los Angeles Unified Schooling Basis supported lecturers and colleges in affected areas with classroom supplies, neighborhood wellness occasions and psychological well being help for college kids, lecturers and households, in response to a Los Angeles Unified spokesperson.
It’s unclear what number of of those college students will keep put as the brand new college 12 months begins. In June, LAUSD authorised a $604-million plan to rebuild Marquez Constitution Elementary, Palisades Constitution Elementary and Palisades Constitution Excessive Faculty by the tip of 2028. However most college students displaced by the fires could have aged out earlier than lessons can return to their campuses.
The rebuild will scale back Marquez Elementary’s school rooms from 37 to 22 and Palisades Elementary from 26 to 24. Pali Excessive will stay within the Sears constructing for the autumn semester. Marquez Elementary college students are sharing a campus with Nora Sterry Elementary in Sawtelle, whereas Palisades Elementary college students will keep on the Brentwood Sciences Magnet.
