Early adolescence represents a particularly vulnerable period of development during which young people are susceptible to establishing lifelong behavior patterns associated with poor life, health, and educational outcomes. Previous research demonstrates older adolescents and young adults often experience negative life events (NLEs) prior to corresponding periods of depression, anxiety, and anger and that NLE-related distress can influence students' readiness to learn. Educators, especially in the middle grades, must provide increasingly responsive support and intervention to help reduce the lifelong educational and health-related consequences too often associated with NLEs. In this study, the authors investigated the relative influence of NLEs on middle level, high school, and college students. Specifically, they examined young adolescents' emotional vulnerability to NLEs and described how these vulnerabilities changed during adolescence. The authors also assessed the impact of event intensity, timing, and gender. This study makes an important contribution to the professional literature on readiness to learn in the middle grades by helping researchers and practitioners better understand how emotional vulnerability changes during adolescence and by discussing the implications of these changes for professional practice. Further, it promises to help middle level professionals become better prepared to assist young people coping with NLEs and to create school environments that support student success.