Aims to provide valuable insights into the educational challenges faced by students who experience foster care (SEFC) and inform strategies for improving support systems to better serve this vulnerable population. This study examined, through a survey and interviews, how these individuals persevere through the challenges of the education and foster care systems to pursue meaningful lives. It used a concurrent mixed-methods design, combining quantitative data from a survey of 165 participants with qualitative data from 29 individual interviews to provide a comprehensive view of the educational experiences of foster care youth. A youth-engaged research approach was employed, partnering with California Youth Connection (CYC) to involve SEFC as research collaborators in all stages, from designing methodology to co-creating surveys and conducting interviews, ensuring that the research reflected the lived experiences of foster youth.