Abstract According to governments around the world, developing and sustaining technological skills and competencies are seen to be a key part of a student's ability to engage with twenty-first century schooling. Yet to what extent do students believe in the association between technological competence and their success at school? This short research paper presents an initial analysis of data from a large-scale survey of secondary-school students in England (n=1303). Analysis of these data suggests that official expectations about the close linkages between scholastic success and information and communication technology (ICT) use are not necessarily shared by students themselves. For example, students' belief in the educational value of ICT competence was low in comparison to their beliefs about technology use in other areas of their lives. Belief in the educational value of ICT competence was also found to be at its highest with students in their initial year of secondary schooling, and at diminished leve...