The Navajo Nation has been historically underserved, as evidenced by the prevalence of education inequity, inadequacies in healthcare facilities and personnel, and limited capacity of telecommunications and electrical infrastructure. These vulnerabilities of the Navajo Nation were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study examined the academic and social outcomes of 40 students attending a Navajo Nation public high school. Datasets were collected from participants who are enrolled as fulltime students at the high school. The study was guided by research questions, and the overarching question was "How do high school students in the Navajo Nation describe their educational experiences?" RQ1: In what ways do students experience barriers to academic success? RQ2: In what ways did COVID-19 exacerbate or intersect with challenges to academic success? RQ3: How do students describe their pathways to academic success? The factors evaluated in this study resulted from the learning experiences of students forced to navigate new modes of learning for extended periods. The questionnaires and interviews completed and submitted by the participants were coded based on the order of completion, in batches of five. This provided the foundation for patterns of structured data analysis. The students' authentic responses generated a wealth of information for discussion on both planned and reactionary processes by learning institutions. The grounded theory method was used to generate themes and notable points for discussion.The findings of the study revealed numerous factors which affected students' learning progress during this period, including limited or non-existent technological training of both students and faculty; inadequate network coverage in remote areas, preventing online access; and limited availability of high-speed internet, reducing students' engagement on online platforms. Datasets pertaining to school years 2019/2020, 2020/2021, and 2021/2022 were generated from the responses to the questionnaires distributed to the research participants. Cumulatively, a weekly loss of three days of instructional time resulted in 72 instructional days instead of the 180 days in a typical school year. This study has two implications. Firstly, COVID-19 adversely affected students academically and socially, and without remediation, it will affect them in the long term. Secondly, there is urgent need for multi-company investment in the installation and upgrading of technological and electrical infrastructure for the provision of reliable services to all residents of the Navajo Nation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]