This study explores the lived experiences of orphaned and neglected children regarding their educational challenges. With a focus on individual, psychological, social, and institutional dimensions, the research seeks to identify the barriers these children encounter in the process of academic achievement. The study used a qualitative approach with Van Manen’s interpretive phenomenology. Participants were 11–14-year-old girls in family-like residential centers in Tehran. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed to extract essential themes. Lived narratives revealed that learning was experienced as fragmented and anxiety-laden; school was perceived more as a space of neglect than support. Peer relations were ambivalent, oscillating between belonging and rejection. Strong dependence on teachers as the sole source of security, coupled with anxiety and declining motivation, created a cycle of failure and helplessness. Limited emotional skills further led to intense affective reactions in academic situations. Children in family-like care centers experience a cycle of anxiety, academic failure, and demotivation rooted in the interplay of individual, social, and institutional factors. Improving educational situation requires strengthening emotional and academic support from teachers, establishing structured communication between these centers and schools.