This hermeneutic phenomenology study examined the apparent phenomenon of the educating gap – a persisting disparity between the educational experiences and results of Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners in a Kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) public education system. I drew on the lived stories of non-Indigenous and Indigenous educational stakeholders as research participants to look for the presence or absence of deficit model language or for alternate explanations in their personal accounts of this disparity. The research setting was the North-Central, East Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Under the umbrella of an indigenist perspective, while employing a method of narrative interviews and their analysis through a hermeneutic circle, this apparent educating gap was studied in terms beyond what can be learned through statistics and data, as a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Interviews and the ensuing analysis did not show any evidence of deficit model language used in participant narratives of this apparent educating gap. In place of such deficit explanations, the research revealed perceptions and perception patterns, pointing to hindrances or obstacles that disrupt equal learning opportunities for Indigenous students, families, and communities. These perceptions came to light in the participants’ life stories that outlined their experiences of the strengths and struggles in attempting to reach every learner equally. For the purpose of this research, the terms perception and perception patterns were used to point to participants’ experiences and insights related to the disparity of this apparent educating gap.