Our Lady of Lourdes High School

I had attended OLL 30+ years ago. It was a fairly safe school, this was at the old location on North Hamilton street which is something of a DMZ now, it was the former Poughkeepsie HS. My main gripe was with the lacking facilities. The coddling of the sports teams at the expense of the 'regular' students and worst of all... the complete lack of prep, or 'push' for college entrance exams. I thought that the whole reason for attending Lourdes was to prep for college. I never had a guidence councellor approach me about how I was doing with my college search, interviews, exam prep... nothing. A friend of mine and I even had to go straight to the principal when they tried to sneak an unqualified semiary student in to teach Mechanical Drawing and Art when our teacher left mid term of our senior year. What can I say. I felt over looked and not especially important as the 'jocks' were getting all of the attention from the councellors.

Excellent academic environment. The teachers care about the students. The student body cares about the school. There is a common respect for all. The only drawback that I can see compared to a public school is the ability for the student to be involved in Chorus, Band and Art at the same time during the scholastic year. Overall this is a great school with a spiritual foundation, and an environment of support, talent and leadership.
--Submitted by a parent

Okay school, but limited with music and sports programs. Dollar for Dollar the publich school offers much more.
--Submitted by a parent

A Great private education. Worth every penny. Focused towards higher learning, which is always a positive. Strong discipline is instilled, without being overbearing. Great sense of community.
--Submitted by a former student

Our Lady of Lourdes has an excellent academic program. The teachers truly are caring about each child. Especially when it comes to keeping in touch via phone calls or e-mail on the progress of your child.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is a very safe environment that teaches our youth how to be an active, caring part of our community while educating the students academically, socially, and spiritually.
--Submitted by a teacher

I attended OLL in order to avoid public school, but may have been better served by Arlington HS. The facilities at OLL are mediocre, especially for the arts and laboratory sciences. The foreign language program is a complete joke (only Spanish is offered, and this program doesn't force the student to even try to speak that language). The sports teams have to play home games away from campus because there are no facilities. Discipline is uneven and often severe. Fundraisers, such as the annual Walk-A-Thon, are mandatory, so expect to pay more than the expected tuition. Although I now attend a top 25 university, the majority of students end up at SUNYs or 3rd tier colleges.
--Submitted by a former student

I attended Our Lady of Lourdes and am so happy that I did. I was always a pretty good student, but I really thrived in the environment that OLL presented. I was challenged every single day to do my best academically, socially, morally, and physically. The teachers were wonderfully supportive and were always willing to explain things carefully to me if I did not understand. I believe that I have benefitted greatly from OLL and know that every person at the school has played a great role in my future success.
--Submitted by a former student

I am a 2002 graduate of OLL, all I know is this high school gave me experience in having a good work ethic. Now in college, some of my friends here are brilliant but have poor time management skills, and this shows up all the time. The difference is clear.
--Submitted by a former student

As a student going from public to Lourdes, I was mad. I hated private schools. But I have to say this is one of the best schools in New York. My grades are better, and I have more fun getting up every morning and going to school! I'm not even a catholic and I have fun every day.
--Submitted by a student