Cooley Vocational High School, high school in Chicago, Illinois
Cooley Vocational High School was a middle and high school in Chicago that opened in 1958 and served grades 7 through 12. The building was located at the corner of Sedgwick Avenue and Division Street on the Near North Side and had been used by other schools before becoming home to vocational training programs.
The school was founded in 1958 and named after Edwin Gilbert Cooley, a former Chicago school superintendent. It closed in 1979 due to deteriorating building conditions and academic struggles, followed by demolition in 1981.
The school served the Cabrini-Green neighborhood and was deeply rooted in the local community's daily life. It reflected the shifting demographics of Chicago as the student body changed over time, becoming a gathering place for families in the area.
The school no longer exists as the building was demolished in 1981 and the site is now empty. The location was on the Near North Side near the former Cabrini-Green public housing area, which has changed significantly over the decades.
The school gained lasting fame through the 1975 film Cooley High, which depicted student and teacher experiences and reflected the real struggles of students during that era. Director Eric Monte based the story on his own experiences as a student at the school and growing up in the neighborhood.
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