Capital Area Career Center (CACC) in Springfield is mainly a high-school career center, and its high-school courses are not open to adults. Adults can enroll in Practical Nursing and an evening CNA course on the same campus; an adult cosmetology program is also listed, but its current sessions should be confirmed with the school.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public Illinois area career center for high-school juniors and seniors, with adult (postsecondary) nursing programs; campus-based |
| Location | 1 campus: 2201 Toronto Rd., Springfield, IL |
| Adult programs | Practical Nursing certificate (9 months); Certified Nursing Assistant (evening course); Cosmetology (confirm current sessions) |
| Accreditation | Practical Nursing: ACEN (continuing accreditation) and full Illinois Board of Nursing approval; CNA: approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health |
| Federal aid | Pell grants and federal Direct Loans for Practical Nursing |
| Founded | 1966, as the Springfield Area Vocational Center; the practical nursing school dates from 1957 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A high-school career center with an adult nursing school
CACC opened in 1966 as the Springfield Area Vocational Center, one of Illinois’s seven charter area vocational centers, with 192 students in a former car dealership. It moved to its current Toronto Road building in 1977 and took its present name in 1997. Today it serves juniors and seniors from about 25 high schools in and around Springfield, who attend part of the day while staying enrolled at their home school. The adult side is older than the center itself: the Capital Area School of Practical Nursing began in 1957 as the Springfield School of Practical Nursing and moved onto this campus in 1977. Federal IPEDS data count 353 adult students in 2024, with 98 practical nursing and 16 cosmetology completions that year.
Adult programs at CACC
The center publishes a single price for Practical Nursing and for the CNA course, with no in-district or out-of-state rates; it publishes no cosmetology price.
| Program | Credential or exam | Length and schedule | Cost (2026-27) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing (Capital Area School of Practical Nursing) | Certificate; prepares for the NCLEX-PN and an Illinois LPN license | 9 months, 1,330 hours (54 credits); full-time weekday classes and clinicals; starts August and February | $17,252 tuition and fees; about $18,354 with books, supplies and licensure costs |
| Certified Nursing Assistant (adult) | Eligibility for the Illinois CNA competency exam | Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, 4:30 to 9:00 pm | $1,200, plus an $85 state exam fee |
| Cosmetology (adult, Capital Area School of Cosmetology) | Prepares for the Illinois cosmetology licensing exam | Confirm current hours and session dates with the school | Not published |
What the main programs cover
Practical Nursing
The Practical Nursing certificate runs four sequential quarters over about nine months, 54 credit hours or 1,330 hours of class and clinical work. It is a full-time day program: classes run from 8:15 am to 4:00 pm and clinicals usually from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm, with no evening or weekend option. Clinicals are done in groups of ten or fewer with an instructor at hospitals in Springfield, Jacksonville, Decatur, Taylorville and Lincoln, and at behavioral-health sites. The school arranges the placements, but students provide their own transport.
Certified Nursing Assistant
The adult CNA course meets on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 4:30 to 9:00 pm. It covers the 21 skills Illinois requires of nursing assistants and includes a clinical rotation. Full attendance is required. Applicants need a high-school diploma or GED, vaccination records and a flu shot. Finishing the course makes students eligible for the Illinois CNA competency exam, which leads to listing on the state’s Health Care Worker Registry. The school does not state the course length in weeks, so ask when you register.
Costs and how adults pay
Practical Nursing has a single rate for all students. The 2026-27 figures below are from the school’s cost of attendance page. There is no campus housing; the school’s own living-cost allowance is $31,989 for students not living with a parent and $21,495 for those who are.
| Practical Nursing, 2026-27 | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $14,688 |
| Diagnostic testing | $2,564 |
| Tuition and fees | $17,252 |
| Books, uniforms and supplies (estimate) | $685 |
| Licensure: NCLEX application $107, NCLEX test $200, fingerprint background check $60, Illinois license $50 | $417 |
| Total direct program cost | About $18,354 |
Practical Nursing students can use Federal Pell Grants, Federal Direct Loans, the Illinois MAP Grant and WIOA training funds, and CACC is an approved WIOA provider. The school notes that not every type of aid is available for every program, so ask about aid for cosmetology. Its veterans page links to VA resources and veterans’ group scholarships but does not say whether GI Bill benefits can be used. The adult CNA course costs $1,200 at registration, covering tuition, textbooks and CPR, plus $85 for the state exam; fees are not refunded once class starts.
Admissions and start dates
Practical Nursing admission is selective. Applicants must be at least 17 and send an official high-school or GED transcript; online diplomas are not accepted. They must reach minimum scores on a proctored, in-person ATI TEAS exam (Reading 54%, Math 54%, Science 35%, English 45%), with up to three attempts per cohort. A clear criminal background check (or a waiver) and a negative drug screen, both within 12 months of the start date and at the student’s cost, are required, along with a physical and immunizations. Classes start in August and February; the deadline for the February 2027 class is 1 December 2026, and the class may fill earlier. High-school students apply through their home high school.
Accreditation and NCLEX results
Practical Nursing is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), whose most recent decision was continuing accreditation, and has full approval from the Illinois Board of Nursing. The school’s accreditation page also names the Middle States Association Commission on Secondary Schools as an accreditor, without giving dates. The adult CNA course is approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
First-time NCLEX-PN pass rates for the school, from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, have been 98% in 2023 and 2024 and 90% in 2025, above the Illinois average of 88% that year. Rates were lower in 2021 and 2022. We found no current job-placement or completion rate we could check.
| Year | First-time takers | Passed | Pass rate | Illinois PN average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 111 | 100 | 90% | 88% |
| 2024 | 98 | 96 | 98% | – |
| 2023 | 89 | 87 | 98% | – |
| 2022 | 81 | 66 | 81% | – |
| 2021 | 97 | 75 | 77% | – |
Before you enroll
- Most of CACC’s programs, including barbering, EMT, welding, HVAC and electrical, automotive and IT networking, are for high-school juniors and seniors from member schools only. Adults can take only Practical Nursing, CNA and, if a session is running, cosmetology.
- Practical Nursing is full-time and daytime only, so it cannot be combined with weekday daytime work. Clinicals can be as far away as Jacksonville, Decatur, Taylorville or Lincoln, and students arrange their own transport.
- Practical Nursing admission is not open: you need minimum TEAS scores, a clear background check and a negative drug screen, and seats can fill before the deadline.
- The adult cosmetology page still advertised an August 2025 session in October 2026 and gives no price. Confirm session dates, hours and cost with the school before you plan around it.
Housing and career help
CACC has no student housing. The practical nursing school runs a job board and holds an annual career fair.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Healthcare (adult)
- Practical Nursing (LPN), Capital Area School of Practical Nursing
- Certified Nursing Assistant (adult evening course)
Cosmetology (adult)
- Adult Cosmetology, Capital Area School of Cosmetology (confirm current sessions with the school)
Campus Locations
Springfield, IL 2201 Toronto Rd., Springfield, IL 62712