Marquez Charter Elementary School, whose Los Angeles campus was destroyed in the January Palisades wildfire — has reopened in temporary buildings while permanent facilities are completed.
“The very first step was to ensure that as quickly as possible, after the extensive soil testing, and water testing, and air testing, that we would bring the community back to the Palisades," said Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho. "Today is that day.”
The Los Angeles Daily News reports that when the new school is completed, it will have 20 classrooms, a library, a multipurpose room, a cafeteria and a playground.
Rebuilding is set to be completed in the 2028–29 school year.
Since the wildfire on January 7 forced students off the Marquez Charter campus, they have been relocated to Nora Sterry Elementary school in West Los Angeles, about 10 miles away from the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. In the aftermath of the fires, enrollment at Marquez has plummeted from about 310 to 130.
EdSource reports that Marquez’s temporary campus, along with the larger rebuild, will cost the Los Angeles district about $202.6 million.
The rebuilding of all three campuses damaged or destroyed in the fires — including Palisades Charter Elementary and Palisades Charter High School — will likely cost around $600 million. Funding comes from a $9 billion construction bond package that voters approved in November.
