Pasadena Rosebud Academy will welcome 215 students this fall, its largest class ever, into modular buildings that still don't have sinks.

The TK-8 charter school lost its Altadena campus when the Eaton Fire destroyed the site on January 7, 2025. Eighteen months later, the school's 175 current students and staff remain in temporary classrooms on the campus of Don Benito Fundamental School in Pasadena, nearly seven miles from the original site. About a third of Rosebud's students were themselves displaced from their homes by the fire.

Founder Shawn Brown held the school's biggest fundraiser yet on Sunday, July 12, a comedy show called "Stand Up for Students" at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Writer-producer Chris Spencer, known for co-creating BET's "Real Husbands of Hollywood," headlined the event, which also featured comedians Aida Rodriguez, Jesus Trejo, and others. KBLA Talk 1580 served as a media partner.

The rebuild is projected to cost upward of $50 million, according to PasadenaNow, and no construction timeline has been announced. The California Charter School Association has provided some funding, but the school is still actively seeking donations. CBS News Los Angeles reported on Friday, July 10, that the school has yet to secure a permanent home.

"We don't want people to forget about us and think that because we're somewhere, that we are where we need to be," Brown said. "We still have a long journey."

Brown founded Rosebud Academy in 2007 to serve Black and brown students in Pasadena and surrounding communities. The school emphasizes critical thinking, financial literacy, and cultural awareness. Its enrollment growth, from 175 students to an expected 215 this fall, signals demand even as the campus remains in limbo.

Donations to support the rebuild can be made at rosebudacademy.com, which links to a GoFundMe campaign. No groundbreaking date or construction milestone has been announced.