This paper explores the role of grit, a non-cognitive skill indicating perseverance and passion for long-term goals, in predicting academic outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from a digital learning platform in the United Arab Emirates, the study constructs a behavioral measure of grit by analyzing students' responses to setbacks. The findings indicate that students who exhibited higher levels of grit before the pandemic experienced lower declines in math and science scores during the coronavirus period. Machine learning models show that pre-pandemic behavioral data can explain 77% of the variance in academic resilience. In contrast, a survey measure of grit did not have significant predictive power over performance changes. The study highlights the importance of fostering grit in educational interventions and the potential of digital learning platforms to measure and enhance non-cognitive skills, which can improve student outcomes in times of crisis.This paper explores the role of grit, a non-cognitive skill indicating perseverance and passion for long-term goals, in predicting academic outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from a digital learning platform in the United Arab Emirates, the study constructs a behavioral measure of grit by analyzing students' responses to setbacks. The findings indicate that students who exhibited higher levels of grit before the pandemic experienced lower declines in math and science scores during the coronavirus period. Machine learning models show that pre-pandemic behavioral data can explain 77% of the variance in academic resilience. In contrast, a survey measure of grit did not have significant predictive power over performance changes. The study highlights the importance of fostering grit in educational interventions and the potential of digital learning platforms to measure and enhance non-cognitive skills, which can improve student outcomes in times of crisis.