Following its original broadcast, the episode garnered scrutiny from the Catholic League, an advocacy group for the American Roman Catholic Church. In one scene in the episode, the Simpsons are on their way home from a church service, and Bart says, "I'm starving. Mom, can we go to church for wafers and alcohol?" To which Marge replies, "No, no one's going to be Catholic. Three kids is enough, thanks." In an issue of the Catholic League's monthly Catalyst newspaper, the organization wrote, "Fox's germany email list animated television show The Simpsons is beloved by millions for its endearing characters. It was with regret, therefore, that we were forced to take issue with its November 22 episode. They added that William Anthony Donohue, the organization’s current president, had sent a letter to Fox, which read: “Can you explain why this dialogue was included in the program?” In response, Thomas Chavez, Fox’s manager of broadcast standards and practices, wrote a “lengthy” letter, partly reprinted in the same issue of Catalyst. It read:
In her letter she questioned an exchange of dialogue between Bart and his mother, Marge. Because Bart is hungry, he suggests that they convert to Catholicism, as he is aware that wafers and wine are dispensed in the Catholic ceremony. Like other children who are uninformed, Bart views the wafer as simply food and wine as a forbidden drink. Because many families wait to eat after they have attended Church, it is not atypical for a child to unwittingly pose a question like this. The writers chose not to have Marge respond to Bart's ridiculous desire to satisfy his hunger with the Sacrament, but rather, they chose to have Marge respond by stating why she would not feel comfortable converting to Catholicism. Her views regarding birth control are obviously contrary to the belief of the Catholic Church. While Marge's response can be perceived as short and curt, it also conveys the impression that the choice of religion is based on more than just the rituals of the religion.In its original American broadcast on November 22, 1998, "Lisa Gets an 'A'" received an 8.0 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, translating to approximately 8 million viewers. The episode finished 51st in the ratings for the week of November 16–22, 1998, tied with ABC's Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
