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</p> <h2>The haunting images show what’s left of Los Angeles schools and what’s lost forever</h2> <p class="sans">By <a rel="author" href="https://www.the74million.org/contributor/545194/">Meghan Gallagher</a></p> <p>This story first appeared at <a href="https://www.the74million.org">The 74</a>, a nonprofit news site covering education. <a href="https://www.the74million.org/about/newsletters/?utm_source=republish-button&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=republish">Sign up for free newsletters from The 74</a> to get more like this in your inbox.</p> <p>The wildfires that swept through Los Angeles last week wreaked devastation on the lives of students, educators, and families. As the community struggles to recover, thousands of students face the harsh reality that their schools may never reopen, while educators and families navigate significant losses.</p> <p>With <a href="https://www.the74million.org/article/la-schools-struggle-to-reopen-as-fires-still-rage/">at least seven</a> school buildings reduced to rubble, Los Angeles Unified School District is scrambling to relocate displaced students.</p> <p>The work of photojournalists who braved the fires and their aftermath captures haunting images of what was left behind — the charred frame of a school bus, precious preschoolers’ artwork — and what has been lost forever. </p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="682" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373319_50_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738573" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Firefighters prepare to fight flames from inside Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School auditorium as the school burns during the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles county, California, on Jan. 8 (Josh Edelson/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="661" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373319_200_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738569" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A firefighter opens the door to a burning auditorium inside Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School during the Eaton Fire in Altadena on Jan. 8. (Josh Edelson/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="672" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_941_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738572" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sparks fly from the wheel of a burned school bus as the Eaton Fire moves through the area on Jan. 8 in Altadena. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="678" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_104_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738578" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Firefighters scramble while preparing to fight flames at Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School auditorium as the school burns during the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area of Los Angeles county, California on Jan. 8. (Josh Edelson/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="731" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_134_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738580" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A view of Franklin Elementary school, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Jan. 10 in Altadena, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_407_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738582" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A partially melted tricycle is pictured at the Aveson School of Leaders charter elementary school in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Jan. 14. (Agustin Paullier/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_477_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738584" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students’ belongings remain at Marquez Charter Elementary School after fire torched the campus in Pacific Palisades. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_345_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738586" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A burned mural is pictured outside a classroom at the Aveson School of Leaders charter elementary school in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Jan. 14. (Agustin Paullier/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_577_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738587" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Aveson School of Leaders was burned by the Eaton Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 15. (Jason Armond/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_763_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738589" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students’ artwork from the Community United Methodist Church’s preschool. (Drew A. Kelley/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="658" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_28_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738592" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A burnt school bus at Aveson Charter School on Jan. 13. (Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="688" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_401_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738595" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students’ belongings remain at Marquez Charter Elementary School on Jan. 15, after the Paradise Fire torched the campus in Pacific Palisades. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="707" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_298_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738596" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Noyes Elementary School at the top of Allen Avenue is a complete loss due to the Eaton Fire in Altadena as seen on Sunday, Jan. 12. (Will Lester/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="682" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_393_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738598" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Eliot Art Magnet School auditorium along Lake Avenue in Altadena after it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Jan. 10. (David Crane/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_318_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738600" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Students, parents and teachers of Odyssey Charter School South, which burned down in the Eaton Fire, gather at Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel on Jan. 14. (Jason Armond/<a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/san-gabriel-ca-students-parents-and-teachers-of-odyssey-news-photo/2193607339?adppopup=true">Getty Images</a>)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_833_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738602" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho tours Nora Sterry Elementary as Fernie Najera, an LAUSD Carpenter, works on getting the school prepared for displaced students on Jan. 12. (Jason Armond/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_469_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738603" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond helps distribute Grab & Go meals to students and families impacted by the Eaton Fire at Madison Elementary School in Pasadena on Monday, Jan. 13. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_604_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738606" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Brian Woolf, a parent of a student from Odyssey Charter School South, gets emotional at a park meeting with other parents, students and educators. (Jason Armond/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_978_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738608" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Anne Thornberg picks up her daughters Frances, 6, left, and Harriett, 9, who attend Project Camp, free child care to families impacted by the fires, at Eagle Rock Recreation Center on Jan. 15. (Gina Ferazzi/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_528_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738611" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Children who had attended Palisades Charter Elementary School are welcomed back to classes, now being held at the Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet in Brentwood on Jan. 15. Brentwood school will serve as a temporary location for students. (David Crane/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_555_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738613" width="840" height="560" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Joseph Koshki hugs his son, third-grader Jaden Koshki, as they are welcomed back to school by Kathy Flores at Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet in Brentwood on Jan. 15. (David Crane/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_771_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738614" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A mother kisses her child goodbye on the first day back to school at Palisades Charter Elementary School which has been re-located to the Brentwood Elementary Science Magnet in Brentwood on Jan. 15. (David Crane/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" loading="lazy" decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="653" src="https://blog.college-counseling.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737373320_103_LA-Wildfires-Reduce-Classrooms-to-Ashes-Uproot-Students-Lives-–.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-738615" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A displaced student from Marquez Elementary School hugs a bear as she resumes class at Nora Sterry Elementary School in Los Angeles on Jan. 15. (Chris Delmas/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure> <p> Copy HTML
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