Forsyth County Schools School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed to apply. Forsyth County Schools trains you, and your Class B CDL is due within 60 days of hire.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Georgia CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Forsyth County Schools is the fifth-largest district in Georgia, enrolling roughly 55,500 students across 42 schools in Cumming, one of metro Atlanta's fastest-growing counties. It is the largest employer in the county. The district has not published a driver headcount or fleet size, but it keeps a standing Bus Driver posting open and holds periodic open houses and job fairs. Steady hiring in a growing county is the opening for anyone who wants reliable public-sector work close to home.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. The job description requires a Class B CDL with passenger and school bus endorsements within 60 days of employment, and the district trains applicants from a regular driver's license. What Forsyth has not published is the length of its training program or whether trainees are paid while they license, so confirm both with Transportation. This page lays out the real Forsyth process and what the job pays.
Forsyth County Schools 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 Forsyth County
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Forsyth County Schools.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
Georgia sets the minimum age for a School Bus Driver at 18 and no state driving-experience minimum, so Forsyth sets its own standard. Your driving record must meet the district's safe-driver program. Serious moving violations, DUIs, and license suspensions are disqualifying. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required.
Apply on AppliTrack for Bus Driver
Start at forsyth.k12.ga.us under Employment and click through to the AppliTrack board at applitrack.com/forsyth. Search the title "Bus Driver." The standing posting stays open until filled. Complete the full application and certify your driving and employment history accurately.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
Forsyth offers virtual and phone interviews, and you can walk in to a Transportation zone office between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire. Zone offices serve North Forsyth (Coal Mountain Drive), South Forsyth (Peachtree Parkway), and West Forsyth (Drew Road). Confirm numbers before visiting, or call 770-888-1234.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete a GCIC and FBI fingerprint criminal record check, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, a DOT physical with a Medical Examiner's Certificate, and the annual GaDOE school bus driver physical. Your driving record is pulled, including any out-of-state history. Forsyth has not published who pays these costs, so ask Transportation up front.
Earn your CDL within 60 days of hire
School Bus Drivers need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (school bus) endorsements, and Forsyth's job description requires them within 60 days of employment. The district trains applicants from zero: about a week of classroom instruction, range and road training in air-brake buses, then the three-part skills test. The program satisfies the federal ELDT rule. Trainee pay and program length are not published.
Finish route training and start driving
Georgia requires at least 24 hours of GaDOE-approved initial training before you transport students. You then ride routes with experienced trainers until you know yours and drive solo. Drivers work the 180-day Transportation schedule, are classified non-exempt (paid hourly), and are covered by the PSERS retirement system.
What's in the full Forsyth County Schools 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 Forsyth County Schools guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Forsyth County Schools 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 Forsyth County Schools 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.
Forsyth County Schools bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to apply to drive for Forsyth County Schools?
No. Forsyth explicitly trains applicants without a CDL. The job description requires a Class B CDL with passenger and school bus endorsements within 60 days of employment, so the license is part of your first two months on the job. If you already hold one, that helps but is not required.
How much do Forsyth County School Bus Drivers make?
The district's 2025-26 transportation compensation schedule starts a driver at $21.02 per hour at zero years of experience and runs to $33.69 per hour at 26 or more years. The 2026-27 driver schedule had not been published at last check, so confirm the current rate with Transportation. Substitute drivers are paid $26.00 per hour on the FY2027 non-benefited rates.
Does Forsyth pay a hiring bonus or offer benefits?
No sign-on or training bonus is documented for Forsyth School Bus Drivers, so ask Transportation whether any incentive is in effect. The official job description lists PSERS retirement. Health and leave details for drivers are not published, so ask when you apply. No union represents Forsyth drivers; the district sets pay and conditions.
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 Forsyth County Schools.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.