Pocatello district to receive insurance settlement for Highland High fire

POCATELLO (IdahoEdNews.org) — The Pocatello-Chubbuck School District will receive $36.1 million for damages from a 2023 fire at Highland High School.

Trustees and the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program (ICRMP) agreed on the payout last month, two years after the blaze gutted an entire wing at the high school. ICRMP is a risk management and insurance program designed for governmental entities in Idaho.

Most of the money has been spent, or is about to be spent, said district business operations director Jonathan Balls. The payout will funnel in with $43 million in facility modernization funds from House Bill 521, passed in 2024, to rebuild Highland.

RELATED | School district breaks ground on Highland Rebuild. Here’s what it will look like

Highland’s D wing is rebuilt and awaits final touches. Some of the school’s other facilities undamaged by the fire are also getting upgrades, like the “woefully inadequate” auditorium, said Balls.

Balls said ICRMP stopped insuring the Pocatello district in July 2025, making the settlement part of ICRMP’s effort to wrap up business with the Pocatello district. Pocatello is now insured by various private companies through broker Moreton and Company, ICRMP director Tim Osborne told Idaho Education News.

A number of districts followed suit after a new agreement between ICRMP and Moreton and Company.

Flagged hazards went unaddressed before Highland fire — a common occurrence in Idaho schools

RELATED | Highland fire saga is far from over, insurance adjuster says. Here’s what we know

Construction on new additions to Highland’s main building should be finished in January 2027, and upgrades to other facilities, including the new auditorium, are slated to wrap up in July 2027, according to the school’s website.

This article was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on January 9, 2026

The post Pocatello district to receive insurance settlement for Highland High fire appeared first on East Idaho News.