The study investigated the relationships between students' grit, academic engagement, motivation and self-regulated learning (SRL). It explored the mediating role of academic motivation and SRL in the relationship between students' grit and academic engagement. Understanding these dynamics can help educators foster environments that enhance student engagement through targeted interventions. A predictive correlational design was used to model the relationships among the variables. Stratified random sampling selected 190 senior high school students from the Kwahu Afram Plains District in Ghana. Data were collected using validated instruments: the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI); Academic Grit Scale (AGS); Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ); and Self-Regulated Learning Scale (SRLS). Analysis was performed using partial least squares structural equation modelling to handle non-normality in the data. The results indicated that academic grit positively influenced academic motivation ([beta] = 0.631, p < 0.001), academic engagement ([beta] = 0.320, p = 0.001) and SRL ([beta] = 0.756, p < 0.001). Academic motivation and SRL partially mediated the relationship between grit and academic engagement. The model demonstrated strong reliability and validity, with significant indicator loadings and acceptable variance inflation factors, indicating no multicollinearity issues. Grit significantly impacts academic engagement directly and indirectly through academic motivation and SRL. These findings highlight the importance of fostering grit, motivation and self-regulation in students to enhance their academic engagement. Hence, educators are encouraged to design cognitive-behavioural interventions to promote these attributes in order to ultimately improve educational outcomes.