Palisades high school reopens 1 year after devastating LA fires
Palisades Charter High School, located in the West Los Angeles community that was devastated by the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, is officially welcoming students back to campus.
A release from the school asked parents and community members to line the streets on Tuesday to help welcome back the student body after 40% of the campus was burned one year ago.
The school also planned for the school band, student ambassadors and some faculty members to greet incoming students.
Videos shared on the school's social media pages showed people crowding the streets, cheering while holding signs ushering students back to the campus.
"After a year of resilience and adaptability, our school community will finally be back on our beloved Palisades campus!" Dr. Pam Magee, the school's executive director, said in a letter on Tuesday.
"This return marks more than just a change of location -- it's a powerful reminder of our strength, unity, and commitment to learning," Magee continued. "While there will no doubt be bittersweet feelings about what once was, what now is, and what is to come, we will continue to navigate the transition together as a united community.
The Palisades Fire, which erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, destroyed nearly 7,000 structures and caused 12 civilian casualties, according to Cal Fire. On the other side of Los Angeles, the massively destructive Eaton Fire broke out the same day, burning large swaths of Altadena and killing 19 people.
The Santa Monica Sears building served as a temporary campus for Palisades Charter in the wake of the fire, according to KABC.
"The past year challenged us in ways we never imagined, but together we have persevered," Magee wrote in her note on Tuesday. "This week we celebrate not only the reopening of our campus but the spirit that carried us through."
