Cooke Center Academy High School

From the day they enter as freshmen, students at the Cooke Center Academy (CCA) begin preparing for an independent future after high school. Experience outside the classroom is vital to achieving our vision.

In addition to individualized, standards-based academics, our students learn life skills and gain on-the-job-training in some of New York City's most prestigious offices and institutions. And teenagers will be happy to learn that the Academy provides a typical high school life for students 14 to 21, complete with arts, athletics and school dances.

A sense of belonging

Cooke founded CCA in 2005 to meet a critical need for high school students with disabilities, who do not have the same school choices as their general education peers. With a small student body, CCA teens can participate in many activities that might not have been available to them in a large high school setting. Our students are cheerleaders, basketball players and actors in the school musical. They run a student government, hold dances and host street fairs. They get the chance to be stars.

Academics

Students follow a curriculum aligned with New York State Standards for Learning, with modifications for our learners. Because each student learns differently, lessons build on individual strengths and interests to maximize achievement. Small, multi-age groupings allow for the flexibility to address academic, social and therapeutic needs.

The Cooke Center Academy offers two programs for our learners. Students may follow one program throughout their time at CCA, or they may take classes in both, depending on their strengths and needs.

Access to Independence Program

This program is designed for students with mild to moderate cognitive or developmental disabilities that severely impact their academic, social and daily living skills. The curriculum is aligned with a traditional high school model, with emphasis on compensatory strategies that enhance learning, as well as practical application of academic skills. For example, in English Language Arts, students learn to use picture and content clues when they read. Math classes focus not only on basic number skills and geometry, but on topics like money and time.

Learning for Living Program

This skills-based program serves students with severe language-based learning disabilities that significantly impact their academic and social skills. The curriculum helps students develop skills needed for an independent life after high school through individualized classroom instruction and experience in the community. It is organized into four strands: Daily Living, Community Living, Cultural Appreciation and Parent Education and Advocacy.

Transition to Life

CCA staff works one-on-one with all students to design a transition program that matches their interests and strengths. With strong staff support, our students intern in New York City's offices, cultural institutions, parks, restaurants and schools. Examples of recent placements include the offices of NewsCorp, the law firm of Hogan and Hartson, a Brooklyn therapeutic riding stable, a preschool classroom and Habitat for Humanity. Vocational skills are reinforced in the classroom.

Students also get hands-on lessons in day-to-day living. They learn to navigate the subways by riding them (with a counselor and a map!) and how to manage a household in the school's Daily Living Lab.

When students leave the Cooke Center Academy, they have a transition plan in place for the future.

Off-site education

We enhance classroom instruction with a rich program of off-site education. Drawing upon the vibrant cultural resources of New York City, our students learn to apply classroom learning in a real-life context-- from history lessons at the Met to science lessons at the weight room of a local gym.

Facilities

The Cooke Center Academy is located in the historic SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, close to mass transit, businesses and cultural organizations. Our five-story building is handicap accessible and is equipped with spacious classrooms, the Daily Living Lab (a simulation of a typical apartment with a full working kitchen and laundry area), small group therapy spaces, a science lab, an art studio, a tech center, a fitness room and two large spaces for student dining and assemblies.

Our local community provides a "living classroom" in which our students can learn, with highly structured staff guidance and support.

Admissions

Students come to CCA from the Cooke Center Middle School and from many other schools in and around New York City.  Please visit our admissions page for more information and an open house schedule.