Cooley Vocational High School
Encyclopedia
Cooley Vocational High School was a public vocational
high school
in Chicago
, Illinois
, which served grades 7 through 12. It was part of Chicago Public Schools
. It was adjacent to the Cabrini–Green housing development. It was named after Chicago Public Schools Superintendent, Edwin G. Cooley.
Cooley Vocational High School was the subject of the 1975 film Cooley High
. Eric Monte
, a former Cooley student, based the film on his experiences from attending Cooley Vocational High School.
in 1979.
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, which served grades 7 through 12. It was part of Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
. It was adjacent to the Cabrini–Green housing development. It was named after Chicago Public Schools Superintendent, Edwin G. Cooley.
Cooley Vocational High School was the subject of the 1975 film Cooley High
Cooley High
Cooley High is a 1975 American film based upon the real high school located on the near north side of Chicago produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte...
. Eric Monte
Eric Monte
Eric Monte is an American screenwriter who has written for and created notable shows depicting 1970s African American culture.-Early life and career:...
, a former Cooley student, based the film on his experiences from attending Cooley Vocational High School.
History
The location was known as Lane Technical High School in the 1930s. In 1940, the building was occupied by Washburne Trade School. In 1958, Washburne moved, leaving the building vacant. At that time Cabrini-Green's population had reached about 15,000 residents. In order to provide education for the residents' children, Cooley Vocational High School opened in 1958.Closing
Several difficulties in the area and the building led to Cooley Vocational High School being shut down. The school was demolished and replaced by Near North Career Metropolitan High SchoolNear North Career Metropolitan High School
Near North Career Metropolitan High School was a public 4-year magnet high school located on Chicago's Near North Side. It was part of Chicago Public Schools...
in 1979.