By Jorge Casuso

April 22, 2025 -- For the first time since the devastating Palisades Fire drove them from their high school in January, more than 2,500 students flocked to a quickly constructed campus in Downtown Santa Monica on Tuesday.

Palisades High entrance (Pictures Courtesy City of Santa Monica)

There, they will stay until the school year ends on June 6 before returning to the 63-year old Palisades Charter High School, which lost 40 percent of its facilities to a fire that raged for more than three weeks and destroyed 6,837 structures.

It was a dramatic, but smooth, transition for the students from 100 different zip codes who entered the 90 newly built classrooms at the “Pali South” campus in the old Sears building Downtown.

The move came three and a half months after Principal Pamela Magee put out a call five days after the fire started on January 7 for "temporary classroom spaces or campuses available for lease or donation."

The Santa Monica City Council acted quickly, approving an emergency ordinance to pave the way for the daunting move from the once lush, wooded area some 4 miles away.

Santa Monica, which is known for its slow-moving planning and building process, moved at full speed in coordination with Palisades High's administration, contractor CW Driver and architecture firm Gensler.

Palisades High School students head back to class in Santa Monica

Under an expedited process, it took one month to build the 90 classrooms and install 30 miles of wiring, 48,000 square feet of acoustic insulation and enough carpeting to cover two football fields.

“It has been a monumental effort to bring a school with this many students so quickly to a city center," said Arminé Chaparyan, director of the Community Development Department.

For the past several weeks Community Development, along with the Police, Fire and Transportation departments, "worked around the clock coordinating construction plans and approvals," City officials said.

"The process focused on ensuring the safety of the campus while getting students back to school as quickly as possible."

"South Pali" -- which sits across the street from the Expo end-of-the line station -- required extra traffic and security measures given the large homeless presence in the area.

The Police Department coordinated with LA County Sheriffs, who oversee Metro public safety, to add security at the Expo station and in the area around the campus drop-off lot.

During school days, Big Blue Bus's Transit Safety Officers will be stationed on high-traffic routes and at select bus stops "to assist riders with navigating the system and addressing safety and maintenance concerns."

In addition, Downtown Santa Monica Ambassadors will "have an added presence" around the campus (which is closed to public access), outside the train station and in downtown parking structures "to assist with questions, security concerns and wayfinding."

City transportation officials have worked closely with the school and "other local partners" to implement "a robust transportation plan" that includes public transit and student drop off and pick up points.

They also came up with a plan to manage traffic that is expected to increase dramatically at the start and end of school in an already congested area.

"Undoubtedly, it will be busy in the mornings and after school, just like any area with schools as large as Palisades High," said Anuj Gupta, director of the Department of Transportation.

"Our plan is in motion and working well so far, and we will continue to observe and adjust as students settle into their routines," Gupta said.

"We’re grateful to our entire community for being patient and understanding as we support these students’ return to in-person learning."

The presence of more than 2,500 students, teachers and administrators over the next month and a half is expected to give a much-needed boost to local businesses, who are coordinating with the City and Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) to offer special deals.

The City also has helped facilitate "after school sports, meetings and other activities at various parks, libraries and city facilities around town," officials said.

"We invite students and parents to spend a bit more time in Santa Monica to avoid the traffic and enjoy what the community has to offer," City officials said.