St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed to apply. St. Vrain Valley pays you $27.63/hr to train and gets you licensed in 2 to 5 weeks.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Colorado CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J, headquartered in Longmont, serves parts of Boulder, Weld, and Larimer Counties with roughly 31,600 students in more than 50 schools. The transportation department moves over 6,900 students a day and drives more than 1.4 million miles a year, with a team of more than 100 bus drivers on a fleet of about 150 vehicles. The district keeps recruiting, and it runs its own in-house CDL training rather than waiting for fully licensed applicants.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. St. Vrain Valley states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to get one, all training is provided by the district, and all training time is paid. Its bus drivers are district classified employees, not contractors, with PERA pension membership. This page covers the real process, what you pay out of pocket, and what the job pays.
St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J 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 St. Vrain Valley
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Colorado sets the minimum age for a School Bus Driver at 18 and sets no state years-of-experience minimum. Each district sets its own, and many Colorado districts require 21, so confirm St. Vrain Valley's current requirement with Transportation. Your driving record must meet the district's safe-driver standards. DUIs, license suspensions, and serious moving violations are disqualifying. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not strictly required.
Apply online for "Bus Driver"
St. Vrain Valley takes applications through Frontline AppliTrack at applitrack.com/stvrain. Search the title "Bus Driver." The district also lists a Non-CDL Bus Driver position, a separate job, so read the posting you apply to. Bus Driver postings stay open until filled. Certify your driving and employment history accurately, because the background check will surface anything left out.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
The district offers virtual and phone interviews, and you can walk in to the Transportation bus yard at 395 S Pratt Pkwy in Longmont between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire. The district also holds support staff job fairs that include transportation. Check the careers page for the current schedule.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete a fingerprint criminal history check run through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, and a DOT physical that earns your Medical Examiner's Certificate. The district charges $40 for fingerprinting, taken as $20 from each of your first two paychecks. Confirm current screening costs with Human Resources when you apply.
Earn your CDL as a paid trainee
You need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements, and the district trains you for it in house. Training starts with about one week of classroom instruction before you get behind the wheel, then range and road training. The district's program satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule. Every hour of training is paid, at a trainee rate of $27.63/hr.
Complete training and start your route
The paid program usually runs 2 to 5 weeks depending on the work assignment. After you pass the three-part skills test in a School Bus, you ride your route with an experienced trainer until you know it, then drive solo. Most employees are eligible for benefits after completing training. Full-time assignments run about 175 days a year.
What's in the full St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J 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 St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J 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 St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J 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.
St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to drive a School Bus for St. Vrain Valley?
No. The district states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to get one. All training is provided by the district and all training time is paid. You earn a Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements through its program, usually in 2 to 5 weeks.
How much do St. Vrain Valley School Bus Drivers make?
The 2026-27 starting rate is $27.63 per hour (Range 15 on the classified schedule), and the top of the range is $39.77 per hour. Trainees start at the same $27.63 rate. The job is a 10-month position of about 175 days at a typical 6 paid hours per day. Benefits include Colorado PERA pension membership, a choice of two medical plans, dental, vision, and overtime at time and one-half over 40 hours a week.
Is there a union for St. Vrain Valley bus drivers, and is there a sign-on bonus?
No union has been recognized for the district's bus drivers. Pay, benefits, and working conditions are set by the district's board and administration. No district-advertised sign-on or training bonus has been confirmed, so ask Transportation whether any incentive is in effect before you apply.
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 St. Vrain Valley School District RE-1J.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.