The reconstruction, set to conclude by the end of 2028, aims to restore facilities for approximately 3,620 students across the three campuses
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education approved a $604 million plan Tuesday to rebuild Marquez Charter Elementary School, Palisades Charter Elementary School, and Palisades Charter High School, all heavily damaged by the January 2025 Palisades Fire.
The reconstruction, set to conclude by the end of 2028, aims to restore facilities for approximately 3,620 students across the three campuses in the Pacific Palisades community.
The decision follows the Jan. 14, 2025, declaration of emergency conditions by the board due to severe windstorms and wildfires that caused unprecedented facility losses. The Palisades Fire destroyed or damaged 6,700 structures, including significant portions of the three schools. The approved plan, detailed in Board Report No. 269-24/25, includes two-phase projects: Phase 1 installs interim facilities, while Phase 2 delivers permanent construction.
Marquez Charter Elementary, with a budget of $202.6 million, will see 19 portable classrooms, a modular library, and other interim facilities installed starting in the second quarter of 2025, with completion by mid-2025. Permanent construction of 22 classrooms and new buildings is slated for completion by late 2028, with playground enhancements finishing in mid-2029. Palisades Charter Elementary, allocated $134.9 million, will remain at Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet until its campus restoration and 16 new classrooms are completed by late 2028. Palisades Charter High, with a $266.6 million budget, will install 29 interim classrooms by mid-2025 and rebuild 22 classrooms, a synthetic track, and sports fields by late 2028, with baseball field work extending to mid-2029.
Funding primarily comes from the $9 billion bond approved by voters in November, with $337.6 million earmarked for the elementary schools’ modernizations and $266.6 million for the high school’s upgrades under the School Upgrade Program. LAUSD is seeking reimbursements from insurance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the California School Facilities Program, though amounts remain uncertain.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, addressing the board, emphasized urgency due to rising construction costs from tariffs and potential FEMA reimbursement cuts. “The longer we wait, the higher the possibility that the reimbursement will be reduced,” he said, per LAist. The district aims to recoup most of the bond funds, though some bond money will still be needed.
The plan adjusts campus capacities, reducing Marquez’s classrooms from 37 to 22 and Palisades Elementary’s from 26 to 24, reflecting enrollment declines, according to LAist. Palisades High will restore all 22 lost classrooms. Board member Nick Melvoin, representing the area, told LAist the board rejected converting an elementary school into a middle school after community input favored maintaining two elementary schools. Concerns linger about future enrollment, with board president Scott Schmerelson questioning who will return, while Chief of School Operations Andres Chait cited potential new families moving in, per LAist.
