Skip to main content

Henrico County Public Schools

The Right to Achieve. The Support to Succeed.

Student Smart Cards

Student Smart Cards

All Henrico County Public Schools students are provided student Smart Cards to wear and use at school every day. These cards are designed to streamline and simplify various parts of the school day, while making school environments safer and more secure. The cards bring together a handful of processes and makes them all accessible with a quick scan or tap.

Check the FAQ below for more details on how students use their Smart Cards, how the cards should be displayed and what to do when a card is lost or broken. More information can be found on pages 5 and 6 of the 2025-26 Code of Student Conduct.

Still haven't found what you're looking for? Send questions to studentsmartcards@henrico.k12.va.us.

Three custom ID cards in white, red, and blue display sample names, logos, QR codes, and barcodes against a black background.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Students are expected to wear their Smart Cards while on school grounds and traveling via HCPS Pupil Transportation. It should be considered an essential part of the school day.

  • Students should have their Smart Cards visible at key times, such as when they enter the school campus, in hallways, in cafeteria serving lines, during class transitions and when leaving campus at the end of the day.

  • For safety purposes, students should remove Smart Cards worn on lanyards during PE, recess, sports practice/athletic activities, science labs, messy activities and CTE courses when using machinery.

  • A barcode, RFID or QR code will be scanned depending on the service being accessed.

  • When a card is scanned, it only grants access to secure, encrypted systems. This means that the data accessed is protected by our security protocols.

  • If a student forgets their Smart Card, we have procedures in place to ensure they can still participate in school activities and access necessary services; however, we encourage students to remember to bring their Smart Cards daily as part of their personal responsibility. Instances when a student continually forgets or refuses to wear an Smart Card will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

  • The student should report the lost or broken Smart Card to their school, and library staff will print a new card and replacement cards as needed. The first replacement card is free, but there will be a $5 fee for any additional replacements. The fee covers the cost of producing the new card.

  • The old card will no longer be usable. You should return the old card to the school and continue using the newer card.

  • The same system will be used to add money to school lunch accounts. Go to The Connection: Online Services and Resources

  • Only students' names, codes for scanning and school branding are displayed on the Smart Cards. Any staff member that scans the card will be able to verify their photo or identity in our internal databases.

  • Students will receive just one card from their home school which will work at both locations. 

  • No, Smart Cards are only for pre-K to 12th grade students.

Two smiling children in matching green shirts proudly display their ID cards, with one child seated in a wheelchair against a backdrop of photo collages.
Three young girls smile brightly for the camera in front of a painted wall, wearing lanyards with ID badges.
A young girl scans her identification card, standing in line with other students indoors.
A child selects food from a school cafeteria lunch line, holding a tray with a fresh peach and milk carton.
A young boy smiles as he stands in the open doorway of a school bus.
A person wearing a purple shirt scans an ID card with a barcode at a checkout station.
A smiling child wearing a green tie-dye shirt uses a scanner at a library checkout counter.
A person holds up an ID badge on a lanyard inside the cab of a vehicle.