Admission

What school should be

The Catherine Cook School is what school should be: a joyful learning community, dedicated to academic excellence and educating children for life.

We are an educational community:

As a junior school, our focus is the educational foundation and social development of each child during the crucial years from preschool to eighth grade. With an average student/teacher ratio of 10:1, we are a community of learners where students and families are known by name. Personal attention and a collaborative spirit create an environment that inspires curiosity, passion, and achievement.

We are an urban community:

We strive to cultivate a diverse, vibrant school community that reflects the great city of Chicago. We seek to bring the city's many resources into our school and our children into the city so they may develop a personal sense of stewardship and social responsibility.

We are a community of achievers:

Every year, we see happy, confident, and well-educated children graduate from our Middle School and attend their high schools of choice. Catherine Cook alumni go on to Chicago's premier independent schools, top-tier boarding schools, and the most selective high schools in the Chicago Public Schools system. Success looks different for each student, and we seek to ensure that each graduate has a range of excellent high school options from which to choose.

The school welcomes families who seek an educational home for their children through the Middle School years, who are committed to supporting the school's mission, and who will partner with faculty to optimize their children's development.

Fully accredited by ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States), the State of Illinois, and NCA (North Central Association), the school enjoys an excellent reputation as one of Chicago's outstanding and fastest-growing independent schools. The Catherine Cook School is also a member of LMAIS (Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools) and NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools).

To learn more about the benefits of an Independent Education, please view the following video:  “Pat Bassett Addresses Parents about the Benefits of Independent Schools”  Pat Bassett is President of NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools).

Jill Due

Director of Admission
312.266.3381, ext. 146
jdue@ccookschool.org