So You Just Logged In and Have No Idea Where to Start
Starting your free trial and seeing all these options? Don't worry – you're not alone. Most administrators feel overwhelmed at first, but we'll get you set up properly in about 2-3 hours.
This guide walks you through everything in the right order, so you won't miss anything important. By the end, you'll have a fully working system that protects your students and gives you complete oversight.
What You'll Accomplish:
Set up your school's basic information
Create classes and enroll students
Add staff with the right permissions
Create device policies that actually work
Get student devices connected and monitored
Access meaningful reports and analytics
Let's dive in!
Phase 1: School Foundation (15 minutes)
Step 1: Verify Your School Information
Before anything else, make sure your school details are correct.
Go to Settings → General tab
Check your school name and contact information
Confirm your timezone (this affects all reporting)
Verify your school address and geofence radius
Why this matters: Your geofence determines when student devices are monitored. Get this wrong, and your policies won't work as expected.
Phase 2: Build Your Structure (30 minutes)
Step 2: Create Your Classes
Classes are the backbone of everything in Trio Education. Start here.
Go to Classes and click + Add class
Create classes for each grade/group you need to monitor
Choose the right Stage (junior high school, senior high school, kindergarten, elementary)
Pick recognizable avatars for each class
Set up custom geofences if your classes are in different buildings
Pro tip: Create at least one test class first to practice with before adding your real classes.
Detailed guide: [Class Management Article]
Step 3: Add Your Staff Team
Get your colleagues set up with the right access levels.
Go to Settings → Staffs tab
Add teachers and administrators
Choose Admin for full access or Viewer for read-only
Assign staff to specific classes they manage
Send invitations and follow up on activations
Important: Staff need to accept email invitations to activate their accounts.
Complete instructions: Staff Management
Phase 3: Student Enrollment (45 minutes)
Step 4: Add Your Students
You can add students one by one or upload them all at once.
For Small Groups (Under 20 students):
Go to Students → + Add student → Enroll Individually
Fill in basic information (name, birthday, class assignment)
Add parent/guardian contact information
Set home location if needed
For Large Groups:
Choose Enroll as Group (CSV)
Download the sample CSV template
Fill it out with your student data
Upload (file must be under 1MB)
Key point: Always assign students to classes during enrollment – it's much easier than doing it later.
Step-by-step details: Student Management
Phase 4: Create Your Device Policies (45 minutes)
Step 5: Design Your Device Rules
This is where you define what students can and can't do on their devices.
Go to Profiles → Add profile
Give your profile a clear name (like "Grade 9 Strict" or "Elementary Basic")
Choose between School device (SOD) or Student device (BYOD)
Then configure three key areas:
Smart App Rules:
Select which apps students can use
Do this for each device type (Android, iOS, etc.)
Start restrictive – you can always add more apps later
Safe Search:
Block harmful content categories
Add keyword exceptions if needed
Remember: this doesn't work on iOS devices
Web Filter:
Block website categories that aren't educational
Add specific sites to allow or block
Test with a few common sites students use
Smart strategy: Create 2-3 different profiles:
One strict profile for younger students
One moderate profile for older students
One lenient profile for staff devices
Complete walkthrough: Profile Management
Phase 5: Connect Student Devices (30 minutes setup + ongoing)
Step 6: Get Devices Enrolled
Now it's time to connect student devices to your system.
Go to Devices → Add Device
Select the class and device type (SOD or BYOD)
Click Generate code – you'll get a 6-digit number
Share this code with students (it expires in 72 hours)
For students to complete:
Download Trio Student app from https://trio.so/education/download/
Open the app and tap "Pair with Code"
Enter the code you provided
Follow the setup prompts
Management tip: Generate codes in batches for whole classes. Use the Active Codes section to track which codes are still unused.
Detailed enrollment process: Device Management
Phase 6: Connect Everything Together (15 minutes)
Step 7: Make the Assignments
Now link your profiles to classes so the rules actually apply.
Go back to your Profiles
For each profile, click Assign to a class
Choose the appropriate class
Verify the profile shows as "Active"
Double-check your work:
Each class should have a profile assigned
Students should be in the right classes
Devices should be showing up in your device list
Staff should have activated their accounts
Phase 7: Monitor and Verify (20 minutes)
Step 8: Check Your Reports
Make sure everything is working by reviewing your analytics.
Go to Reports to see your main dashboard
Check Students reports to verify enrollments
Look at Devices to see connected devices
Review Web Activity and App Usage (data may take time to appear)
What to look for:
Student and device counts match your expectations
Recent activity showing up in reports
No error messages or missing data
Profiles showing as "Active" in the system
Understanding all reports: Reports and Analytics
Phase 8: Test and Optimize (30 minutes)
Step 9: Run a Live Test
Before rolling out to everyone, test with a small group.
Pick 2-3 cooperative students
Have them try accessing blocked websites
Check if blocked apps are actually blocked
Verify you can see their activity in reports
Test the geofencing by having them leave/enter school
Common issues and fixes:
Apps not blocked: Check if profile is assigned to student's class
No activity data: Wait 10-15 minutes for data to sync
iOS limitations: Remember keyword and app tracking doesn't work on iPhones/iPads
Step 10: Gradual Rollout
Don't try to enroll everyone at once.
Start with one class or grade level
Work out any issues before expanding
Train staff on how to interpret reports
Set up regular check-ins to review system performance
You're Done! What's Next?
Congratulations! You now have a fully operational Trio Education system. Here's what to do moving forward:
Daily Tasks (5 minutes)
Check the main dashboard for any alerts
Review attendance data
Monitor device enrollment requests
Weekly Tasks (15 minutes)
Export student activity reports
Review app usage patterns
Adjust blocked content if needed
Monthly Tasks (30 minutes)
Analyze long-term trends
Update profiles based on usage data
Add new students and remove graduated ones
Quick Troubleshooting
Students can't pair their devices:
Check if the pairing code expired (72 hours max)
Verify they downloaded the right Trio Student app
Make sure they're entering the code correctly
Rules aren't being enforced:
Confirm profile is assigned to the student's class
Check if device is marked as SOD or BYOD correctly
Verify student is within school geofence for BYOD devices
No data in reports:
Wait 15-30 minutes for initial data sync
Check if devices are actually being used
Remember iOS devices have limited data collection
Staff can't access their accounts:
Confirm they accepted the email invitation
Check spam folders for invitation emails
Verify they have the right access level assigned
Get Help When You Need It
Remember, you're on a free trial – this is your time to explore and ask questions!
Check our detailed guides linked throughout this article
Contact Trio Support for technical issues
Join our community forum for tips from other administrators
Most importantly: Don't try to perfect everything on day one. Get the basics working, then refine your setup as you learn how your students actually use their devices.