Several weeks after students returned to Canyon Charter Elementary School following the Los Angeles fires in January, a second grade student at the school cried as his teacher packed up an absent friend鈥檚 belongings.

鈥淲hat are you doing with this stuff?鈥� the student asked, his grief ongoing, and mounting.

Katje Davis said it was difficult to explain that his friend was displaced by the Palisades fire and had to move to another school.

鈥淭his loss was hard,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淏ut 鈥� we鈥檙e good teachers here. And we鈥檝e figured out how to put the kids first.鈥�

The second grader was one of hundreds who left the Los Angeles Unified School District, which lost two elementary schools to the fires, and the Pasadena Unified School District, which encompasses Altadena, and was the hardest hit.

And as the academic year comes to an end, teachers, administrators and experts have stressed that schools in areas affected by fires have remained a key source of stability, despite campuswide adjustments to a new normal and the ongoing grief expressed by students, many of whom lost their homes, pets and communities. Five months after the fires, students were back on track, making progress academically and emotionally.

鈥淪chools provide a sense of continuity and safety for children,鈥� said Pedro Noguera, the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of USC鈥檚 Rossier School of Education. 鈥淎nd, that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important to be in school.鈥�

鈥楴othing like Covid鈥�: Returning to normalcy

Despite losing some schools to the fire, Los Angeles Unified and Pasadena Unified were relatively quick to bring students back and resume classes at their new locations. Many students returned by the end of January.

The schools that burned down were relocated to new campuses, so students could stay with the same campus community, classroom, classmates and teachers.

Parents at Canyon Charter Elementary were concerned about environmental risks, according to Davis, and many kept their kids home until the district completed a Soil and Indoor Air Dust Report in late March.

In the months following the Eaton and Palisades fires, students who lived in impacted communities dealt with different circumstances and missed varying amounts of instruction. Some initially seemed happy to be back with their teacher and classmates; others struggled emotionally.

鈥淭his is nothing like Covid 鈥� because at Covid times, everybody was in the same boat,鈥� Davis said. Her school was in a unique position 鈥� they were the closest to the burn zone but did not perish. They also didn鈥檛 have running water until mid-March.

Wendy Connor, a veteran first grade teacher at Marquez Charter Elementary School, which did burn down in Palisades, said the initial days and weeks after they resumed in January at Nora Sterry Elementary were geared toward students鈥� emotional well-being.

Teachers started marking tardies in mid-February, she said, and she tried to cover only the essential parts of each lesson.

鈥淲e鈥檙e reading a story. We鈥檙e writing. We鈥檙e practicing spelling and writing sentences and things like that,鈥� Connor said in an interview with EdSource in February. 鈥淏ut, we鈥檙e just not doing it for as long as we normally would. If there鈥檚 five questions for them to answer, maybe I鈥檒l just have them do three.鈥�

As the weeks rolled on and students started to settle into their new environments, Connor said she felt she had been able to steer her first graders back into a more normal school day.

By May, most of the kids at Marquez Charter Elementary had settled down and were happy at their new location, Connor told EdSource.

鈥淭here鈥檚 been some stories of a few different students from different classrooms whose parents wanted them to go to a different school 鈥� and the kids just refused to go. They wanted to stay at Marquez.鈥�

The efforts at Pasadena Unified have yielded some surprising results, according to Julianne Reynoso, Pasadena Unified鈥檚 assistant superintendent of student wellness and support services.

Although 10,000 of the district鈥檚 14,000 students were evacuated from the Eaton fire, the district鈥檚 diagnostic assessments show that the number of students performing at or above grade level in math and reading across elementary and middle school has increased between the August/September and March/April assessment periods.

Specifically, the number of elementary students who performed at mid- or above-grade level rose 15 percentage points in math and 14 percentage points in reading.

Among middle schoolers, math scores rose by 11 percentage points and 6 percentage points in reading.

An LAUSD spokesperson said in an email to EdSource that they do not have any data measuring the impacts of the Palisades fire on students at Palisades Charter Elementary and Marquez Charter Elementary.

A changing landscape

In the final weeks of the spring semester, the school day looked similar to what it was before the fires, with one notable exception. Connor鈥檚 class is a lot smaller. Only 12 of her 20 students came back, and she made the most of the smaller class size.

鈥淲hen you have 20, you have to run around to like six different kids that need your help. When it鈥檚 only 12, it鈥檚 like two kids,鈥� Connor said. 鈥淎nd then we end up with extra time in the afternoon, and we鈥檙e starting to do some more coding activities 鈥� [and] other enrichment-type activities.鈥�

At least 89 students left Los Angeles Unified due to the fires, according to a district spokesperson, while Pasadena Unified lost roughly 420 students.

鈥淲e did have families that left us,鈥� Reynoso said. Other families maintained long-distance commutes to keep their kids in the same district school. 鈥淏ut what鈥檚 interesting about it is that they said, 鈥榃e鈥檒l be back. This is just temporary for us,鈥� I hope that鈥檚 true.鈥�

But the fires, coupled with fears around immigration enforcement, also led to an uptick in the district鈥檚 rate of chronic absenteeism.

At the same time, Reynoso said Los Angeles Unified unexpectedly gained 263 students. She speculates that this could be the result of a California executive order allowing students who were affected by the fires to attend schools in other districts.

But every fire is different.

According to Noguera from USC, many communities in Santa Rosa and Paradise that suffered losses after fires returned and rebuilt. However, he cautioned that a large-scale return of families might be less likely in Los Angeles.

鈥淣ot everybody who was there will come back or can afford to come back,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a process that鈥檚 going to take time, and we will only know, with time, how it all comes together.鈥�

Carlos Garcia Salda帽a drove past block after block of homes, businesses, and churches 鈥渨iped off the face of the earth.鈥� The Eaton fire that had consumed large parts of Altadena was still burning in the San Gabriel Mountains. The charter network leader needed to see what remained of his schools.

As Garcia Salda帽a approached Odyssey Charter School South, the facade and main entrance appeared intact. But as he looked left and up the hill, he saw a heap of twisted metal and charred rubble where, two days earlier, there had been classrooms, offices, lunch tables, play structures, and an after-school clubhouse. The tree stumps where students used to sit and eat and dream were still smoldering.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just jarring and heartbreaking,鈥� Garcia Salda帽a said.

Over the past week, wind-whipped wildfires reshaped wide swaths of Los Angeles, and destroying more than 12,000 structures. A dozen or more . The danger is not yet past, with fires only partially contained and high winds forecast through Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of students were out of school last week as more than announced temporary closures due to poor air quality, shifting evacuation orders, and the many , , and who had lost their homes.

On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued suspending many state rules governing schools to make it easier for schools to operate in temporary buildings and for students to enroll across district lines, as well as waiving requirements about instructional days.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation鈥檚 second-largest, a handful of schools in areas still under evacuation orders, including three that were neighborhood, remained closed early this week. The district announced that students from two ravaged Palisades elementary schools Wednesday from other district buildings on the city鈥檚 west side.

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified opened its Santa Monica campuses on Tuesday but kept schools in Malibu closed through Wednesday due to road closures and power and gas outages. Many local families have had to evacuate because of the proximity to the , and the district for affected families. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified also said it was monitoring air quality and that its facilities had air filtration systems in place.

In Pasadena Unified, the Eaton Fire, which started on Jan. 7, badly damaged five of its Altadena campuses, which housed a district middle school (whose student-led ), a defunct elementary school, and three charters, including Odyssey South, known as OCS South. Pasadena Unified said its schools will remain closed through this week but that it will offer self-directed online learning and grab-and-go meal service.

Close-knit community faces widespread losses

Now Garcia Salda帽a鈥檚 days are consumed with checking on the many families and staff who lost their homes and looking for a space where students could return to school as soon as possible.

Odyssey operates two Altadena charter schools, OCS South and Odyssey Charter, the network鈥檚 original school, which sustained minimal damage 鈥� some downed trees and smoke residue. The charter network, founded in 1999, now serves a total of 830 students in transitional kindergarten through 8th grade.

OCS South opened its doors in 2018 and relocated to its current location, on the grounds of the former Edison Elementary School, three years ago. Since then, the Odyssey community has set out to make the campus its own 鈥� painting murals, planting gardens, and replacing old play structures.

Over the weekend, Garcia Salda帽a sent a video message to families describing the damage to buildings at the two campuses. Odyssey Charter will require a major clean-up; the OCS South location was a near-total loss. But Odyssey isn鈥檛 about buildings, he said in the video, but about 鈥渢he community that makes us such a special and unique place that we all love so much.鈥�

Emmanuel Barragan, a father of three OCS South students, echoed that point as he dropped off his daughter and two sons at the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena on Monday. School leaders know the name of every single child and what they need, he said, noting, 鈥淪ometimes, it almost feels like the school is a co-parent.鈥�

Odyssey partnered with the Boys & Girls Club to offer free child care this week. The club also alerted other local schools that its doors would be open this week to any school-age child in need of a safe place to be. The clubhouse was providing all-day programming, including arts and crafts, sports, and educational games, and waiving its drop-in fee.

More than 200 students had arrived by mid-morning on Monday. Garcia Salda帽a, better known to students as Dr. Carlos, was at the door to greet Odyssey families. He offered hugs as students made their way inside, and he checked in with caregivers about their housing status.

A survey of Odyssey鈥檚 roughly 650 families had yielded more than 300 responses, with 83 student households reporting 鈥渇ull loss of home & belongings.鈥� Others said they didn鈥檛 yet know the condition of their home. Four Odyssey employees, including the Odyssey Charter principal, also lost homes in the fire, Garcia Salda帽a said.

Altadena native Marcellus Nunley evacuated with his family around 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 8. Within hours, their home was gone. 鈥淓verything melted鈥� was how his 5-year-old son, an Odyssey Charter kindergartener, put it. Nunley dropped off his son at the Boys & Girls Club so he could spend the day managing the logistics of a family displaced by fire: calling the mortgage company, reaching out to the county tax assessor, and procuring all of the little life necessities he hadn鈥檛 given much thought to until they went up in flames.

The losses are exacerbated by Altadena residents鈥� love for their neighborhood, with its charming bungalows and craftsman homes, picturesque hiking trails, and beloved local businesses. 鈥淎ltadena is a diverse community, which is wonderful. It鈥檚 a walking community, it鈥檚 a dog walking community, it鈥檚 town and country,鈥� Nunley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great melting pot of society.鈥�

Before the Eaton Fire, about 42,000 people resided in Altadena. Many Black families who faced housing discrimination in other Los Angeles neighborhoods in the 1960s. Today, Black residents make up about 18% of the population. Roughly a third of Altadena residents are Hispanic, about 40% are white, and there are many Asian American and biracial families.

The Odyssey student body reflects the community鈥檚 racial diversity. It鈥檚 also economically diverse, with about 30% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, according to Garcia Salda帽a.

Caitlin Reilly鈥檚 two sons, 10-year-old Townes and 8-year-old Ellar, are students at OCS South. When the Eaton Fire forced another Odyssey family to evacuate early on Jan. 8, they drove to the house Reilly shares with her partner and kids, located in a section of Pasadena outside of an evacuation zone.

For the next four days, the four adults and four children huddled together in the two-bedroom, one-bathroom home. The kids had an epic sleepover, and the parents stared at their devices, searching for the latest news about the fires engulfing Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Odyssey families connected on social media and text chains, offering up what they could and asking for what they needed, Reilly said. They arranged indoor playdates so kids could be together without breathing the smoke-filled air. They replaced baseball bats and gloves for Little League players who had lost theirs to fire, and they organized backpack and supply drives. The school launched a to support recovery efforts.

Fire鈥檚 devastation leaves uncertainty about next steps

The evacuated family鈥檚 Altadena house is still standing, but their badly damaged neighborhood remained under evacuation orders this week. They secured a temporary rental, but Reilly fears that many local families who lost homes will have a hard time finding a place to stay.

鈥淭he fear is that it will be like Katrina,鈥� she said. The 2005 hurricane devastated New Orleans, damaged or destroyed , and . 鈥淲e鈥檙e worried that we鈥檒l lose so many families that are part of the community because there is nowhere to house them.鈥�

That would hit Odyssey hard, given the closeness of its community and the fact that its funding is tied to its enrollment numbers.

鈥淭here鈥檚 been cheerleading about cleaning up and rebuilding, but as far as logistically what comes next, I don鈥檛 think anyone knows yet,鈥� said Reilly, who serves on the Odyssey Charter Schools board.

Mary Scott, whose 10-year-old son, Charlie, attends OCS South, also fears dwindling enrollment at Odyssey. 鈥淭he reality is, these aren鈥檛 all well-off families, and now they have to find a place to rent and rebuild while also having to pay their mortgages,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 do worry about the families that have to relocate. It would be a tremendous loss.鈥�

Odyssey leadership acknowledges how much remains unknown: when schools will reopen in person, where classes will be held, how many families will stay local and how many will resettle elsewhere, and the extent to which the network will need to rely on remote learning.

Scott, for one, said she鈥檚 hoping to avoid remote learning because it was so difficult during COVID school closures when her son was in kindergarten and first grade. But if she had to choose between online schooling and leaving OCS South, she said would likely stay put because 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to abandon our community.鈥�

Garcia Salda帽a said the COVID years taught him a lot about what works for online learning (shorter lessons, movement breaks) and what doesn鈥檛 (asking kids to sit still for two to three hours at a time). But he鈥檚 mostly focused on finding a temporary physical location so students can return in person as soon as possible.

At the same time, he鈥檚 still figuring out the availability of Odyssey鈥檚 115 employees, many of whom remain displaced, and asking teachers to reach out to each of their students.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about having a familiar voice on the other end of the line saying, 鈥榃hat do you need? How is your family?鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淲e are all human, first and foremost.鈥�

This was originally published by . Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. .