Palisades Charter High Students Return to Class Inside Former Sears Building After Devastating Fire

After the devastating Palisades fire tore through Los Angeles in January, destroying much of Palisades Charter High School, students and teachers are finding a new way forward — in a building once meant for shopping, not studying.

The school community has relocated to a former Sears department store, first built in the 1940s, which has now been transformed into a temporary campus for thousands of students. Despite the unusual setting, the halls that once held retail displays now echo with the sounds of learning and laughter.

“This building is not ideal — it doesn’t have walls that go all the way to the ceiling, it doesn’t have doors, and we’re missing a lot — but we made it work,” said Principal Pam McGee. “The priority was getting kids back to class.”

The original Palisades Charter High campus, known for appearing in films like Carrie and Freaky Friday, suffered severe damage in the January wildfires. About 40% of the school was destroyed, while smoke damage affected nearly all remaining classrooms. The blaze also destroyed more than 6,800 structures across Southern California, displacing hundreds of families.

“I lost my home,” one parent said. “My two boys were born there. We’ve lost that, but now we’ve got an opportunity to rebuild.”

Students say what the fire could not destroy is their sense of community. “I think people are now so much closer together,” one student said. “They can bond over what happened and support each other.”

The district hopes to complete reconstruction of the main campus by January of next year. In the meantime, teachers say the experience is teaching students an even greater lesson — resilience. “Not everything is perfect,” Principal McGee said. “But we’ll be here to teach them, no matter what that looks like.”

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