In addition to being a magnet school, Near North offered vocational courses through the Education To Careers (ETC) program.

In November 1974, The Chicago Board of Education decided to phase out Cooley High due to its poor academic performance and the aged building.

City council and white community members argued that Cooley's location would only serve the residents of Cabrini–Green, a predominately African–American housing project located within walking distance (as Cooley did over time) and that students from other neighborhoods would be afraid to travel through the housing project.

The chosen site, named the Larrabee-Ogden-Clybourn triangle was the location of the former Sieben Brewery which was demolished by the 1950s and the Isham YMCA.

The late start led to a large percentage of white Near North students from areas outside of the school boundaries becoming disgusted and transferring out by mid-school year.

[14] Near North competed in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and was a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

Near North boys' football team were Class 4A one time during the 1988–1989 season under the leadership of coach Lowell Bouck.

[citation needed] American politician, then-Colorado state senate Gary Hart spoke at the school during his presidential campaign in March 1984.

In October 1997, The Board of Education decided that Near North needed to be demolished due to parts of the building's foundation sinking; believing to have been constructed on an old landfill from The Great Chicago Fire of 1871.