Academic letter grades may potentially encourage or discourage Cherokee students from doing well in school and seeking advanced degrees beyond secondary school. Cherokee Nation has just over 100 public school districts located inside the reservation boundaries, in which more than 200,000 students are being served daily, with nearly 32,000 being Cherokee citizens. This study focused on the twenty-five K-8 school districts primarily located in rural areas with the highest populations of Cherokee students. Perceptions of grades may vary widely for students, parents, and school officials. In 2023, there were approximately 10,000 classrooms in the Cherokee Nation, and there was little to no uniformity in grading scales, policies, or practices. Cherokee Nation is in eastern Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma State Department of Education does not currently have grading scales or policies that all schools are mandated to follow through state legislation. This leads to inconsistent grades from school to school and classroom to classroom. The inconsistency leads to different perceptions by all stakeholders of whether students, teachers, and schools are performing at high or low levels. Perceptions of grades may have positive or negative effects on students and may dramatically shape their future. Inflated grades may lead to overconfidence and inaccurate perceptions of skills and capabilities, while deflated grades may lead to low self-esteem and a lack of motivation. High or low grades may lead to satisfaction and happiness or added stress and anxiety. One of the primary goals of educators is to prepare students for future successful careers in the workplace. Historically, many students, teachers, and parents have believed that high grades directly relate to students getting the best jobs; however, high grades are not frequently the primary factor that potential employers consider. Velasco (2012) described employers' perceptions of grades for new graduates and how those may be related to workplace attributes while not being the most important indicator for success. The most important factor for employers is matching specific jobs and duties to the appropriate academic skills and personality traits, which is how they view an ideal candidate. Perceptions of academic letter grades are an essential factor impacting the lives of students across the Cherokee Nation; therefore, they must be studied to improve the best practices in classrooms. [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.]