The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in secondary education is central to global educational reforms and the enhancement of learner motivation. This study examines the predictive relationship between students’ attitudes toward ICT and their achievement motivation, framed within the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT). A descriptive survey design was employed with a stratified random sample of 300 higher secondary students from Chennai, India. Standardized instruments, Attitude towards ICT Scale (Martinez et al., 2021) and Deo–Mohan Achievement Motivation Scale (2011), were administered. Results revealed a statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.181, p < .01) between favorable ICT attitudes and higher achievement motivation, independent of demographic variables. No significant differences in ICT attitudes were found across gender, medium of instruction, and stream of study. These findings suggest that positive ICT attitudes may enhance intrinsic and extrinsic motivational drivers, offering strategic implications for curriculum design, teacher professional development, and policy frameworks under India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.