Homeschool benefits and savings in Fairfax County and City of Fairfax
The Free Student Bus Pass is a no-cost SmarTrip card that lets students in grades 7-12 ride any Fairfax Connector or City of Fairfax CUE bus from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, all year. Home school students who live in Fairfax County or the City of Fairfax qualify: email the signed application to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to get one.
Who qualifies
Is in grades 7-12
The pass is for middle and high school students registered in grades 7-12 only.
Lives in Fairfax County or City
Riders must live in Fairfax County or the City of Fairfax, whether they attend a public, private, or home school.
Has signed parent permission
A parent or guardian signs the 2026-2027 Student Agreement and Parent Authorization form, and your student signs the student agreement on the same form.
What the pass gives you
The terms come from Fairfax Connector's student pass page and the 2026-2027 Student Agreement and Parent Authorization form.
- Cost of the pass and rides
- Free
- Hours the pass works
- 5am-10pm
- Days it works
- 7 days, all year
- Buses accepted
- Connector, CUE
- Cash value you can add
- None
- How long it lasts
- Until graduation
Outside 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Metrobus or Metrorail, your student needs cash or a standard SmarTrip card.
How to get the pass
- Before you apply
Download the form
Print the 2026-2027 Student Agreement and Parent Authorization form from the student pass page. Copies in Spanish, Urdu, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, and Chinese are available on request.
- Talk it over
Agree on routes and times
The form makes you responsible for deciding when your child may ride and which routes to use, since no adult supervises riders on the bus or at stops.
- To apply
Email FCPS
Home school and private school families email the completed form to the FCPS pass contact at mlphillips@fcps.edu.
- Each ride
Tap the card
Tap the pass on the farebox every time, even though the ride is free. A student without the pass may be denied boarding.
- If lost or broken
Replace the card
The pass lasts until graduation, so you only need a new one if it is lost, damaged, or stops working.
What it includes
Included
- Fairfax Connector buses
- City of Fairfax CUE buses
- Trips to school, jobs, and other activities
- Weekends and summer
Not included
- Metrorail
- No, except for students at the five schools in the Student Bus Pass + Metrobus pilot, such as Annandale and Falls Church high schools.
- Rides before 5 a.m. or after 10 p.m.
- Adding cash value
Who to contact about the student pass
Fairfax Connector answers route, schedule, and pass questions; FCPS at mlphillips@fcps.edu handles pass distribution for home school students.
fairfaxconnector@fairfaxcounty.gov 703-339-7200 Free Student Bus Pass
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Virginia
You must file the annual notice of intent by August 15. If you move into a Virginia division or begin after the school year starts, notify the division as soon as practicable and complete the filing within 30 days of the notice.
Virginia sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide a curriculum and include a list of the coming year’s subjects with the annual notice. The home-instruction statute does not require the public-school curriculum.
- Testing: Submit evidence of progress by August 1 after the school year. Children under six on September 30 of that school year are exempt from this assessment requirement.
- Records: Submit the annual notice, subject list, proof of a qualifying route, and required evidence of progress. Keep copies; no routine portfolio or attendance-log filing is required.
- Teachers: Qualify through a high-school diploma, Board-prescribed teaching qualifications, providing a curriculum or program of study, or evidence that you can provide an adequate education.
Read the Virginia homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Virginia
Questions parents ask
- Can my student use the Free Student Bus Pass for things other than school?
- Yes. The parent authorization covers travel between home and school, jobs, and other activities on the days and times you approve.
- Does the Free Student Bus Pass work on Metrobus?
- Other pass holders ride Fairfax Connector and CUE only.
- Do we reapply every school year?
- No. The pass lasts until your student graduates or leaves school. A new card is needed only for a lost, damaged, or broken one.
- Can the pass be taken away?
- Yes. FCPS or the bus systems can revoke it for misconduct, lending the card to someone else, or if the program ends.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
A student fare helps with trips to classes and activities. We handle the learning at home, with lessons built around your child's interests and feedback on their work.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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