Our Lady of Lourdes High School
131 Boardman Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
(845) 463-0400
(845) 463-0174 (fax)
About Us
Our Lady of Lourdes High School Board of Trustees
Our Lady of Lourdes is a co-educational high school which seeks to offer a rigorous college preparatory education rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ to a large and diverse community. Animated by the charisms of the Sisters of St. Dominic and the Marist Brothers, Our Lady of Lourdes strives to enable all students to achieve their fullest potential: spiritually, intellectually, physically, and emotionally. We are Catholic. The Gospel is the foundation and purpose of all that we do. Therefore, we seek to form young men and women in the image of Jesus Christ.
The pastoral campus is nestled on an 18-acre site, which was the former IBM research and development center adjacent to Vassar College, in the Town of Poughkeepsie. The school originally was founded in April of 1958 when the Archdiocese of New York first purchased the former City of Poughkeepsie High School with plans to start one of the first Catholic high schools in Upstate New York. In December 1996, with assistance from the McCann Foundation, the Archdiocese of New York purchased the current campus opening for the 1997/1998 school year with a 675-student enrollment. As of the 2006/2007 school year, the enrollment is approximately 900 students from throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley region. The student population at OLL is a large and diverse population from various ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds joined together to achieve their fullest potentials spiritually, intellectually, physically, and emotionally in the image of Jesus Christ.
The Middle States accredited school provides a strenuous college preparatory education boasting a 100% Regents Diploma graduation rate with 56% of that population earning the coveted Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. OLL averages a 16:1 student/teacher ratio in classes, but the OLL education does not stop when the bell rings since it is not uncommon to see students and teachers working together in various after school tutorials in order for the students to reach their academic goals, especially in the 11 Advanced Placement or College level courses offered throughout the curriculum. Students tend to linger after the last prayer and bell because the school provides a safe and caring environment due to the school’s zero-tolerance for drugs and violence.
Our Lady of Lourdes has a wide array of extra curricular sports and activities from which students may round out their educations. OLL is a proud member of the NYSPHAA Conference II and, over the years, has held many Regional and State titles in several sports for both the boys’ and girls’ teams. The development of the students’ bodies through sports does not come at the sacrifice of the students’ educations though; there have been 17 Varsity teams receiving the Scholar Athlete Team Award, which requires a 90% or better team GPA! The Catholic moral code is also evident in the sports program since the athletic program at OLL has been recognized by the NYSPHAA for excellence in sportsmanship. The school also offers a wide selection of other extra curricular activities with over 30 clubs and activities from which students may chose depending on their interests. Activities range from the more traditional high school fare such as the school yearbook, newspaper, or drama club to the Math club to the more contemporary Anime society. At OLL, students can find a social venue for just about every interest.
One of the primary beliefs of Our Lady of Lourdes is to produce graduates who are open to growth, intellectually competent, loving, religious, and committed to justice and integrity. In order to achieve this belief, the school provides a challenging, well-rounded program which is rooted in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.