American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students continue to have some of the lowest high school graduation and postsecondary attainment rates in the nation. There are a variety of factors that lead to inequitable outcomes for these students. They typically face significantly higher levels of student need, as they are more often low-income and are more likely to have multiple adverse childhood experiences. They also experience greater levels of geographic isolation and lack access to broadband as well as rigorous high school courses that are most predictive for postsecondary success. The education of American Indian and Alaska Native populations and Tribal Nations in the United States is unlike any other. It is rife with logistical challenges and complicated by a painful legacy of forced assimilation at Indian boarding schools. Efforts to improve educational outcomes for AI/AN students must confront this history and be co-developed with Indigenous peoples and Tribal Nations to ensure initiatives are centered on the needs of their communities. To improve postsecondary attainment for the Nation's First Students, policymakers and institutions of higher education must work together to build stronger postsecondary pathways. This brief explores the specific context and challenges that AI/AN students face graduating high school and attaining a postsecondary degree. It focuses on how educational attainment can be improved for these students in a way that is culturally affirming and beneficial not only for individual students but also for their Tribal Nations.