Little empirical evidence is available on what drives young people to engage in higher education. Such knowledge is crucial in order to motivate students to make the most of their potential. This study surveyed a total of 294 Swedish high school students. The result shows that intentions play a mediating role between students' attitudes and the performance levels they achieve. Our results contribute to existing literature by showing that attitudes link to young people's intentions, and intentions subsequently associate with performance behavior. The findings provide guidance on how to foster students' grade performance in school.