The wildfires in early January disrupted training for greater than 725,000 college students and destroyed or broken at the least a dozen faculties. A number of faculty districts, together with Alhambra Unified, Pasadena Unified, San Marino Unified and Glendale Unified, closed inside the first few days of the fires. Colleges within the central and jap a part of Los Angeles Unified College District closed resulting from energy outages and poor air high quality.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an government order on Jan. 14 permitting college students to attend faculties outdoors of their regular district boundaries. Most college students moved nearly instantly, with faculties reporting a bump in enrollment within the first month postfires. Many fire-displaced college students will stay at their new faculties this fall.
The county doesn’t straight monitor 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 faculties. In complete, these faculties are dwelling to greater than 132,000 college students. The Occasions’ estimates are based mostly on information by means of Could 2025.
Within the Los Angeles Unified College District, Palisades Constitution Elementary College and Marquez Constitution Elementary have been destroyed. LAUSD disenrolled at the least 170 college students, roughly 4% of complete enrollment on the eight faculties the district offered information for. Palisades Constitution Excessive College was considerably broken and closed, with lessons now held on the transformed Sears constructing in Santa Monica. Officers on the constitution faculty say the district misplaced 474 college students after the Palisades hearth.
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 seaside metropolis faculty districts with the bulk displaced by the close by Palisades hearth. Mira Costa Excessive College enrolled essentially the most college students out of any faculty that responded to The Occasions, with 107 college students. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified College District accepted 135 new college students of their district, with practically half of these being elementary college students.
The Village College, a non-public elementary faculty 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 faculty yr.
Glendale Unified College 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 faculties in Glendale Unified, however a district consultant stated they’ve added lecturers and adjusted staffing accordingly.
“We’re dedicated to welcoming each household displaced by the fires with fast enrollment, faculty placement and the help they should really feel at dwelling and succeed,” stated a consultant for Glendale Unified.
Los Angeles Unified Training Basis supported lecturers and faculties in affected areas with classroom supplies, group wellness occasions and psychological well being help for college kids, lecturers and households, in accordance with a Los Angeles Unified spokesperson.
It’s unclear what number of of those college students will keep put as the brand new faculty yr begins. In June, LAUSD authorized a $604-million plan to rebuild Marquez Constitution Elementary, Palisades Constitution Elementary and Palisades Constitution Excessive College by the top 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 cut back Marquez Elementary’s lecture 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.
