The kindergarten through twelfth-grade school experience, marked by a series of transitions between grades and learning environments, has a significant impact on academic performance, behavior, and social/emotional connection for students. The purpose of this study is to determine if the academic performance of third through eighth-grade students is impacted by a transition to a new building resulting in a change in learning environment and examine the perceptions of this transition and its impact as reported by parents/guardians, teachers, and school administration. Quantitative data from the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education determine if there is a change in performance following a transition when a building level change occurs at grade level advancement. Surveys and interviews collect qualitative perception data from parents/guardians, teachers, counselors, and administrators to further explore the impacts of building and learning environment transitions. The results of the research indicate school personnel and parents/guardians see value in the relationships between students and school personnel that are formed over time in the educational setting; student achievement data along with school personnel, and parents/guardians' perceptions indicate that building transitions may have some impact on student academic performance, although the results are mixed; and school personnel and parents/guardians feel that the transitions from one building to another when advancing grade levels increased student stress and anxiety and result in an adjustment period to the new learning environment. The implications of this research are beneficial to school district administration for planning grade-span configuration in the best interest of the student as well as in the development of support to students to minimize the impacts of transitions. [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.]