Our Lady of Lourdes in Bethesda

[Anonymous]

We left OLOL once we realized it was so toxic and the damage it was doing to our family, plus what it was teaching our child as being acceptable....which absolutely wasn't!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who in the right mind would keep their children there with all of the accounts of how awful the school and principal are to the kids. There are plenty of other better parochial schools near by, it is insane that anyone is even attending the school with all the negativity people share about the program there. Get out now and look for another school
Instead of commenting on DCUM.

What a strange response. And I am not the PP. As a family that had to go through this, part of the reason we ended up there is because there was NOT adequate information on how bad the school was on DCUM. If we had known how badly the principal targets certain children, and how his BS “this is Mayberry” was false and was a feeder to “everyone else is horrible and doesn’t understand God or my mission (like the cult in M Night Shyamalan’s The Village), we would not have sent our kids there.

In general, I think it’s really important for parents to share this type of thing on DCUM, so that the community can at least try to minimize the harm to children. Clearly the Archdiocese is not doing its job in protecting children by allowing this person to stay.

[Anonymous]

Just FYI, St. Bart’s does offer special services for neurodivergent kids but the program was full with waitlist as of Spring 2026.

They also have a special admissions period for parishioners in the late Fall for the following year. May want to register as parishioner and get on that early admissions list if you are seriously interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI, St. Bart’s does offer special services for neurodivergent kids but the program was full with waitlist as of Spring 2026.

They also have a special admissions period for parishioners in the late Fall for the following year. May want to register as parishioner and get on that early admissions list if you are seriously interested.

You’re not suggesting some game the system” to get an advantage, I hope.

[Anonymous]

How does St Bart’s have a waitlist when MANY families have left????

[Anonymous]

It’s a waitlist for services, not for enrollment.

[Anonymous]

We love St. Barts, by the way, and are hopeful for its continued growth under the new leadership. It’s a special place.

[Anonymous]

I loved St Bart’s as well under the last two principals and their leadership. Many families have left because of the new leadership because of her lack of educational background. Enrollment is extremely low, and I wonder if the school can stay open considering they have had these issues in the past.

[Anonymous]

St. Barts charges an extra fees for their resources and inclusion program. From their website.

Expanded Student Services

Resource: $1,275 (applies to students with CAP plans)
Inclusion: $ 3,500 (applies to students with ICEP plans)

[Anonymous]

Every parish school has scandals and issues every year. Some issues just involve one grade and some are more school wide. I’ve heard stories about every Parish school this year. OLOL does seem particularly rough because the issue is with the principal. Same with St. Barts. But Mercy had a mid year teacher firing. Every school has issues.

Try to find out who your kid’s teachers will be and if they have good reputations. I understand teachers can and do leave especially under bad leadership. But much of the experience comes down to the teacher. Especially in the younger grades.

Also every parish seems to have their own enrollment schedule. Some do early admissions for priority groups and some do rolling admissions. Some follow a more traditional application deadline and decisions deadline. So it might be helpful to decide in the Fall where you want to be.