Our Lady of Fatima School

My wife and I have two proud graduates of Fatima, currently in pre med at LSU. Their GPA's are 3.5 (freshman) and 3.7 (junior). They each miss and thrived in the wonderful religious, exceptional academic and very athletic environment of Fatima. We now have a 2nd grader there. Many parents of Fatima and especially outside of Fatima, don't take advantage of, or even realize certain unique benefits such as, the ability to walk your children into school each day, eat lunch with them, visit their classrooms, The WONDERFUL DEC program, the fact the teachers are paid 90% of the public school salary attracts the best teachers, some of the lowest teacher / student ratios, etc. the exceptional athletics offered. I will end where I began...Also, the wonderful spiritual environment at Fatima is a true blessing. I highly recommend Fatima School.
--Submitted by a parent

My son has been at Fatima for seven years and he has been VERY happy. I am an educator for Lafayette parish public schools and visited several private schools before making the decision to send my son to Fatima. Academically and spiritually Fatima offers the very best. He is a very intelligent student and every year his teachers have gone above and beyond to challenge him and keep him very interested in school. He has several friends and we have become great friends with many of the Fatima families. Everyone has always made us feel welcomed and special. We would not trade this wonderful educational experience!
--Submitted by a parent

I have been a Fatima parent for 9 years and have felt overwhelmed by the clicks among other parents. Fatima is not so fond of embracing persons they view as outside the upper echelon of society. I witnessed many students of high profile parents getting passes while those of average folk are looked down on. I hope that my determination to stay the course does not affect my children adversely.
--Submitted by a parent

I taught at Fatima, tutored for 6 years as well as send my children and we have had a wonderful experience. The academic part is consistent all the way from K - 8, and feel that my kids will be prepared for highschool both spiritually and academically. My son had one experience with bullying last year where he was the victim and the problem was solved immediately and admin. was very aggressive. The teachers all want to be there and have a genuine love for the kids. It's my kids' home away from home! Proud OLF parent!
--Submitted by a parent

We love this school! Reports of extreme bullying are grossly exaggerated. When bullies start, they are expelled. Not surprising the expelled bullies would write negative reviews. Many negative comments about Fatima & Cathedral arise from ridiculously serious rivalry that goes back generations! At Fatima, my child has been nurtured and learned that school can be a kind place where teachers and fellow students help you, and regained his/her self-confidence. We left an Episcopal school because of severe! - and daily verbal bullying. My child was in a group with students who were supposed to help him/her. Instead, they called him/her "stupid" and "ugly" often, every single day. The Episcopal school's response? "It's only words - tell your 6 year old child to ignore it." At Fatima, teachers and administration have been consistently great in providing amazing assistance for my child, who does have a learning disability. We love this school!
--Submitted by a parent

First, as many other people have posted, the bullies at this school are atrocious! MANY students throughout the school had this prob. The students were awful for substitute teachers, to the point where some subs would leave crying. Two boys shattered the all-glass doors and windows one year just b/c we had a substitute. The students knew their parents were rich and were mean to everyone else. I would cry to my momma not to make me go to school on most days. The teachers did NOTHING to discipline the bullies. Many teachers and students were afraid. The students, as several teachers described, were "evil."

Both me and my cousins have not had good experiences with this school--and from everything I've seen from studying to be a teacher--there are a lot of public schools in Lafayette parish that do it better and care more. Bullying is a ridiculous problem and the teachers and staff are too complacent to stop it. If your child is struggling or above average, you'll generally be treated as a nuisance or that you're making it up. My cousin was failing and got expelled from Fatima, but now he's doing amazingly well at ESA and loves school. Fatima is too complacent with itself and other school are starting to leave it behind.

I am very disappointed of what I have seen from fatima. This school has so many bullies that it would take me forever to count them. My son has been at fatima for about seven years, and he has not been happy. every year we always have a bullying problem. The kids at fatima are not normal. They are mostly all rich. I want my son to have a normal life. Thier were so many bullies thier that his friends were scared they would get picked on playing with him, so they didnt even play with him any more. They told that to him. If your thinking about sending your kid (kids) to fatima you are making a big mistake. My son loves the school he goes to now. The kids are so nice and helpful. Plus it is a pubic school. That is the real world.
--Submitted by a parent

Im a student graduating this year. I've been at Fatima for eight years and the things I've learned will stay with me throughout my life. Not just the academics, but the life lessons that all the teachers try to teach to the students. The administration is great also. The only thing that is down is how everyone makes the rivalry between Fatima and Cathedral. The schools don't ever socialize because the younger students think that the kids from the other school are basically alien. Besides that, I'm glad my parents enrolled me in Fatima.
--Submitted by a student

Hate to say it but must agree with some of the other low reviews. If your child is above or below average it is not the place for them. The school is geared toward the average and has little flexibilty for anyone outside of that realm. Most teachers are above average but when they make mistakes the administration backs them regardless.
--Submitted by a parent