Cherry Creek School District 5 School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed. Cherry Creek hires you into paid training at $24.69 an hour and trains you for your commercial license.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Colorado CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Cherry Creek School District 5 serves Greenwood Village, Aurora, and the surrounding Arapahoe County communities, enrolling roughly 51,980 students in 69 schools - the fourth-largest district in Colorado. Transportation runs from three terminals (West, Central, and East), and about 320 district employees sit in the DOT drug-testing program. Drivers are hired directly by the district and paid through district payroll, and the district has faced a persistent driver shortage.
You do not need a CDL to apply. Cherry Creek advertises paid training and requires the Class B with Passenger and School Bus endorsements within one month of hire. The district also sets firm driving-record gates for trainees, covered below, so check your record before you apply. This page lays out the Cherry Creek process, what it costs you, and what the job pays.
Cherry Creek School District 5 at a glance
The essentials, pulled from official sources. The full pay tables, the exact application walkthrough, and the school calendar are in the guide.
How to become a School Bus Driver in Cherry Creek School District
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Cherry Creek School District 5.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Colorado sets the minimum age at 18 and no state years-of-experience minimum, so the district sets its own standard; confirm it with Transportation. Cherry Creek's trainee posting adds hard record gates: no license suspension or revocation in the past 3 years and no DUI or DWAI conviction in the past 3 years. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required.
Apply with a fresh motor vehicle record
Apply through the Be a Bus Driver page on cherrycreekschools.org, using the "Bus Driver" posting. The application requires an original motor vehicle record dated within the past 30 days, so order it right before you apply. Postings run open until filled. Certify your history accurately.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
Cherry Creek offers virtual and phone interviews, and you can walk in to a Transportation terminal between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire. Terminals are Transportation West (Greenwood Village), Central (16500 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora), and East (25001 E. Belleview Ave, Aurora).
Clear the screenings after your offer
You must clear fingerprint-based criminal background checks through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI plus state education screenings, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, and a DOT physical that earns your Medical Examiner's Certificate. Colorado adds no separate state physical for School Bus Drivers. Ask HR who pays for each item when you apply.
Earn your CDL within one month of hire
The trainee posting requires a Class B CDL with P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements within one month of hire. The district provides the CDL training, state training, defensive driving, mountain driving, and first aid and CPR, and trainees are paid hourly. Cherry Creek does not publish a week count, but its union contract treats a gap longer than six weeks in CDL driver training as unusual.
Finish route training and drive solo
You then ride routes with trainers until you know your assignment and drive solo. Drivers working 30 or more hours a week are eligible for medical, dental, and vision after 30 days of continuous service, with Colorado PERA retirement, longevity pay each anniversary, and credit up to step 7 for prior passenger-bus experience. You are paid monthly for hours worked.
What's in the full Cherry Creek School District 5 guide
35+ pages, twelve chapters, written in plain English — everything above in full detail, plus the parts that change year to year.
Right now, includes a free Colorado CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Cherry Creek School District 5 guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Cherry Creek School District 5 pay scale, benefits, and the split-shift schedule — the numbers that decide if this fits your life.
The application, walked through
Exactly what to submit and which documents to attach, so you are not knocked out on a technicality.
The interview
The three things every interviewer is really asking, and what to highlight. (Free in the sample.)
Screenings & paid CDL training
Every screening after your offer, who pays for what, and how you are trained toward your CDL.
The school calendar
This year's Cherry Creek School District 5 calendar — work days, holidays, and breaks — so you know your real schedule.
Managing a bus full of kids
The passenger-management techniques veteran drivers swear by. (Also free in the sample.)
See inside before you buy
A few real pages from the manual — the interview and passenger-management chapters — so you can judge the quality yourself.
Cherry Creek School District 5 bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to apply to drive for Cherry Creek?
No. Cherry Creek states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to get one. You apply with a regular driver's license, and the district's paid training takes you to a Class B CDL with the P and S endorsements, which the posting requires within one month of hire.
What driving record does Cherry Creek require?
The trainee posting requires an original motor vehicle record dated within the past 30 days, no license suspension or revocation in the past 3 years, and no DUI or DWAI conviction in the past 3 years. You must also clear fingerprint-based background checks through the state and the FBI. Check your record before you apply.
How much do Cherry Creek bus drivers make?
The 2026-27 wage schedule has 14 steps: CDL Bus Drivers run from $24.69 at step 1 to $36.76 at step 14, non-CDL drivers from $22.26 to $33.47, and Bus Assistants from $19.63 to $28.83. New drivers can receive credit up to step 7 for previous passenger-bus experience. The Cherry Creek Transportation Employees' Association represents drivers. No sign-on bonus is advertised.
What's the free CDL study guide?
For a limited time, every district guide comes bundled with a free study guide for your state's CDL Passenger and School Bus endorsements — the two written tests you'll take. It covers exactly what's on those tests so you can pass the first time, at no extra cost.
Is this an official guide from the School District?
No. It is an independent preparation guide, not affiliated with or endorsed by any School District. It organizes the public information into one clear manual so you do not have to dig for it.
How do I get the guide after I pay?
Instantly. Checkout takes about a minute, then you get a download link on the screen and by email. It is a PDF you can open on any phone, tablet, or computer and keep.
Get hired in Cherry Creek School District 5.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.