Cottonwood College Prep Academy: A Hybrid High School Pathway of The Cottonwood School

We pride ourselves on being an interdisciplinary, project-based, Montessori-inspired pathway of TCS that encourages
exploration, collaboration, and creativity. We serve El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Cameron Park, Granite Bay, Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, and Placerville.

School Information

Learn more about what makes Cottonwood College Prep Academy a great place to get an education.

College and Career Center

Get the information and tools to apply to college or prepare for a career after high school.

Design Thinking

Design thinking in a high school involves a problem-solving approach where students empathize with users, define issues, ideate solutions, prototype designs, and test them iteratively, fostering creativity and innovation within the educational setting. It encourages students to tackle challenges collaboratively, think critically, and apply interdisciplinary skills to address real-world problems effectively.

Montessori quote

CCPA Mission and Vision

 

MISSION (The HOW): CCPA, influenced by Montessori principles, provides an innovative, rigorous, self-exploring education through experiential learning, design thinking, and meaningful interdisciplinary studies cultivating a growth mindset.

 

VISION (The WHY): CCPA’s vision is to guide our student community to love learning, to profoundly contribute to our diverse world, and to lead lives of achievement.

CCPA Calendar of Events

Event Series Ping-Pong Club

Ping-Pong Club

CCPA

The Ping-Pong Club is a fun and active community where players of all skill levels can come together to enjoy the fast-paced game of ping-pong. Whether you're a beginner looking […]

Event Series Ping-Pong Club

Ping-Pong Club

CCPA

The Ping-Pong Club is a fun and active community where players of all skill levels can come together to enjoy the fast-paced game of ping-pong. Whether you're a beginner looking […]

Cottonwood College Prep Academy:

A Hybrid High School Pathway of The Cottonwood School

Cottonwood College Prep Academy (CCPA) is an optional hybrid high school pathway of TCS located in the Buckeye Union School District in El Dorado Hills. CCPA is a hybrid pathway that includes in-person instruction in English, Science, Social Science, Video Productions, and mandatory online courses in Mathematics and World Language. Our pathway incorporates Design Thinking, emphasizing the creation and testing of innovative solutions to tackle complex, unfamiliar challenges. Students will actively participate in hands-on activities such as prototyping, robotics, Model UN simulations, and theater as well as engage in mentorships and internships to further develop their skills and real-world experience. 

What’s Happening

Our students craft engaging “SLO Down” slides each week, by each selecting one of our Student Learner Outcomes (SLOs) as a framework for the content of their slide. Each slide spotlights the SLO as it relates to a current event or a personal interest. These slides serve as a visually captivating platform, illustrating the richness of our educational experiences!

Step into the vibrancy of daily life at CCPA. In our state-of-the art facility students engage in interdisciplinary projects that are designed to assist students in developing their collaborative and critical-thinking skills. These photos highlight the collaborative nature of student projects and our facility. 

LPS Students Pitch Field Study Projects

This month students in the LPS concentration researched and developed a Field Study project. Today they completed a 30-second pitch for a panel of CCPA staff describing their Field Study project and explaining why their projects would be a beneficial experience for...

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Welcome WASC!

Cottonwood College Prep Academy welcomes WASC! The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United...

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Leadership and Public Service Launches Field Study Project

LPS students are investigating the questions: If you could explore a topic or a place of your choice, what would you explore? How would you make it happen?  Through a multi-step process including inquiry, research, proposal writing, agenda planning, and public...

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Design Thinking Embarks on new project

The Design Thinking Concentration is about to embark on another interdisciplinary project for all students. In this project, students will design and build a scale model of a house. This project will incorporate curricular standards from all subjects; in addition to...

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