When the Camp Fire turned Paradise into a charred wasteland in 2018, no one could’ve predicted the long-lasting academic devastation that would follow. Seven years later, the town’s schools are still struggling to rebuild not just buildings, but entire educational ecosystems.

The Aftermath of Destruction

What happens when a natural disaster obliterates your entire community? For Paradise Unified School District, it meant watching enrollment plummet from 3,441 students to just 1,657, and witnessing academic performance crater faster than property values.

Mental Health vs. Math Homework

Schools initially prioritized emotional healing over academics, which meant lots of art therapy, group hugs, and therapy dogs. While necessary, this approach left students academically adrift. Test scores tanked: only 11% of eighth graders met math standards, and a mere 18% of sixth graders read at grade level.

Rebuilding Beyond Bricks and Mortar

Rebuilding isn’t just about constructing new school buildings. It’s about recreating community, supporting traumatized teachers and students, and creating educational resilience in the face of climate catastrophe. Paradise is slowly learning these tough lessons, one rebuilt classroom at a time.