Since the passage of early federal K-12 school legislation such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 and its many evolutionary successors including the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) there has been increased scrutiny on low-performing schools and particularly their leaders. These accountability measures tend to disproportionately affect schools that often serve Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students as well as students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The leaders of these schools tend to bear the brunt of the scrutiny and face immense pressure to improve schools and raise student achievement in a short amount of time. For high school principals this proves a more daunting task with the unique nature and current structure of comprehensive high schools in the United States. For principals of color the additional pressures of being a leader of color can add additional stress to the work. Despite the cultural funds of knowledge and passion these principals bring to the communities they serve, leaders of color may face additional adversity such as bias and microaggressions. Utilizing a hermeneutic phenomenological design, data was collected through interviews with 6 turnaround high school principals of color, leading schools labeled as turnaround or priority improvement, as identified by the individual leader's state education agency. The aim of the study was to discover themes in the principal's perceptions of how their efforts were impacted by accountability systems, support and obstacles in their work, and their status as a Black or Latinx leader analyzed through a complex systems and an applied critical leadership (ACL) framework. Overall principals understood the need for accountability however many felt their state accountability system had disproportionately negative impacts on their schools and the complex nature of the system was perceived as unsolvable. Additionally, leaders found various levels of support from district administration in key areas to facilitate needed change. As leaders of color, these principals saw a need to support aspiring leaders of color in education and described their pathways to the principalship with a variety of experiences on their journey to leading a turnaround school and the benefits and drawbacks they encountered as Black and Latinx leaders. This study aims to add to the literature on the perceptions of high school turnaround leaders of color and serve as reference for district administrators, state policy makers, and aspiring school leaders of color. [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.]