School sense of belonging is critical for students' academic achievement and emotional well-being. The development of a sense of school belonging is influenced by direct and indirect factors within the school environment. Categorization into low and high achievement groups based on academics is a process largely outside the direct control of a student. This study employed an interpretive phenomenological analysis of interviews conducted with 17 seventh- and eighth-grade students about their belonging experience in a Midwestern public middle school. Experiences of students academically categorized as high, typical, or low achievers were compared and described in the context of three emergent themes. The three themes of cultural, academic, and social belonging were illustrated within a bioecological model as potential pathways contributing to an overall sense of belonging at school. The results emphasized that school sense of belonging is a multi-dimensional concept with indirect factors such as school culture and academic categorization influencing students' social relationships with teachers and peers. The findings of this study may be useful to school administrators seeking ways to increase sense of school belonging through alteration of the indirect influences on students' social relationships and the enhancement of pathways to overall belongingness. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]