The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of schools worldwide in March 2020, causing significant disruption to educational experiences. Teaching and learning began to be organized and transferred from educators' homes with no prior preparation. The present research examined factors promoting and inhibiting teachers' perceptions of success in online teaching in the Arab educational system in Israel during the COVID-19 crisis using mixed-methods approaches, including a questionnaire completed by 195 teachers and interviews with 20 teachers. The research findings indicated that efficient, high-quality, and clear school communication, teachers' frequent use of synchronous teaching, students' high socioeconomic status, and older teacher age best explain teachers' perceptions of success in online teaching. The qualitative findings supported the quantitative results and provided insights about online learning challenges in the Arab educational system in Israel. This research enhances literature and practice by describing contextual factors affecting teachers' perceptions of online teaching success during COVID-19, and it provides valuable, culturally relevant insights to inform post-pandemic education policy design.