Cherokee County School District School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed to apply. CCSD trains you for the commercial license and starts School Bus Drivers at $24.69/hr.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Georgia CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Cherokee County School District, based in Canton, is the ninth-largest district in Georgia, enrolling about 42,000 students. About 26,000 of them ride a bus in the afternoon, on roughly 1,500 daily routes covering about 27,500 miles a day. The district employs around 450 bus drivers on a fleet of about 471 buses, runs three transportation facilities, and recruits continuously through job fairs and driver info sessions at 1020 Keeter Road in Canton.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. CCSD states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to get one, and its program runs about 4 to 6 weeks. The district has not published whether trainees are paid during that program or at what rate, so this page does not promise it. It covers the confirmed starting pay, the work year, what you pay for, and exactly what to ask Transportation before you commit.
Cherokee County School District 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 Cherokee County
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Cherokee County School District.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Georgia sets the minimum age for a School Bus Driver at 18 and sets no state driving-experience minimum, so CCSD sets its own. Confirm the 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"
Start at cherokeek12.net and click through to the district job board at cherokeega.tedk12.com. Search the title "Bus Driver." Postings stay open until filled. Complete the full application and certify your driving and employment history accurately, because the background check will surface anything left out.
Meet CCSD at a job fair or info session
CCSD holds recurring job fairs and driver info sessions for bus drivers and support staff at 1020 Keeter Road in Canton, with on-site interviews at the fairs. Check the careers page for the current schedule, or call Human Resources at 770.704.4256 to confirm the current interview process.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete a fingerprint criminal record check run through the Georgia Crime Information Center and the FBI, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, a DOT physical that earns your Medical Examiner's Certificate, and the separate Georgia school bus driver physical, taken within 60 days before employment. Under CCSD board policy, candidates pay the fingerprinting fee at initial hire.
Earn your CDL in the CCSD training program
You need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements, and CCSD trains you for it. Training starts with about one week of classroom instruction before you get behind the wheel, then range and road training. The district's handbook documents an entry-level driver training course, a CDL training supplement, and CPR and first aid classes. Georgia requires 24 hours of state-approved initial training before you drive students.
Complete training and start your route
The program usually runs about 4 to 6 weeks. After you pass the three-part skills test in a School Bus, you ride routes with an experienced trainer until you know yours, then drive solo. Full-time assignments run about 180 days a year at a minimum of 4 hours per day. Ask Transportation at 770.720.2112 whether trainee time is paid and when the next class starts.
What's in the full Cherokee County School District 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 Georgia CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Cherokee County School District guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Cherokee County School District 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 Cherokee County School District 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.
Cherokee County School District bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to drive a School Bus for Cherokee County?
No. CCSD states that applicants without a CDL can be trained to get a Commercial Driver's License. You earn a Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements through the district's training program, which usually runs 4 to 6 weeks. The district covers the CDL training itself.
How much do CCSD School Bus Drivers make, and are trainees paid?
The FY 2026-27 TR-2 scale for Transportation Services starts at $24.69 per hour at Step 00 and runs to $33.66 per hour at Step 26. Drivers are salaried, non-exempt employees on 180-day contracts with a minimum of 4 hours per day, and pay is spread over 12 months. CCSD has not published whether trainees are paid during the training period, so confirm that with Transportation before you plan around it.
What benefits and incentives come with the job?
Benefits include Georgia State Health Benefit Plan coverage with shared cost, Public School Employees Retirement System participation, fully funded basic life and disability insurance, and annual sick and personal leave. No union represents CCSD bus drivers, because Georgia has no public-sector collective bargaining law. No sign-on, referral, or training bonus has been confirmed for 2026-27, so ask Transportation whether any incentive is in effect.
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 Cherokee County School District.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.