The introduction to the article shows the extent of the spread of educational failure among the schoolchildren and students. The author reveals the risks of educational failure for the development of education. The aim of the article is to identify the background and manifestations of this phenomenon, as well as opportunities and ways to overcome it with social and educational practices and technologies. The author gives a brief overview of the studies devoted to the analyzed phenomenon. The novelty of the research is the development of the author's methodology for the study of educational failure, which allowed us to reveal the essence of this phenomenon and characterize the ways to overcome it. The empirical basis of the article is the results of a sociological study (2019-2020) carried out using the methods of secondary data analysis, expert interviews, surveys of teachers, and focus groups with students.