Oldham County Schools School Bus Driver Guide
A regular driver's license is enough to apply. Oldham County starts School Bus Drivers at $21.25 an hour.
🎁 Limited-time: + free Kentucky CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Oldham County Schools serves La Grange, Crestwood, and the rest of Oldham County, Kentucky, enrolling about 12,038 students across 23 schools. It is the eighth-largest district in the state. Drivers carry roughly half of those students, about 6,000, and the district's driver-testing pool is budgeted for about 80 CDL drivers and 25 non-CDL drivers. District personnel have told the board the district needs about 10 more drivers.
Oldham County's posting requires only a current driver's license valid in Kentucky, not a CDL, and the district employs its own driver trainers. Transportation is run in-house, with no outside contractor. The district does not publish how many days a year drivers work or confirm whether training hours are paid, so this page flags what to ask before you commit.
Oldham 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 Oldham County
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Oldham County Schools.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
You need a driving record that meets Oldham County's safe-driver standards and the ability to pass Kentucky's annual school bus driver medical exam. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required. Kentucky's trainer manual sets 21 as the age for a school bus CDL, and many Kentucky districts hold to it, so confirm the minimum with Transportation. DUIs, license suspensions, and serious moving violations disqualify you.
Apply online for the Bus Driver opening
Start at oldham.kyschools.us/jobs and follow the link to the district's AppliTrack board. The evergreen "Bus Driver" posting has been open for years, and an "Open Route Bus Driver" posting is listed too. The posting asks for a current driver's license valid in Kentucky, not a CDL. Complete the full application and certify your driving history accurately.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
Oldham County offers phone and virtual interviews, and you can walk into the Transportation Department at 1800 Button Lane in La Grange between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete a fingerprint criminal background check (Kentucky State Police to the FBI), a clear Child Abuse/Neglect letter from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, and a DOT physical with a Medical Examiner's Certificate. Kentucky also requires an annual school bus driver medical exam. Who pays each item is not stated in current materials.
Earn your CDL through district training
Oldham County trains from a regular license: you study for the Class B knowledge tests, train behind the wheel in an air-brake school bus, and pass the three-part skills test for the P and S endorsements. The district employs in-house driver trainers. Ask whether trainee hours are paid and how long the program runs, because neither is published.
Finish state training and start your route
Kentucky requires a 21-hour initial course with follow-up reviews, first aid and CPR, and an 8-hour update before each school year. You then ride with a trainer until you know your route and drive solo. Regular drivers are guaranteed a 6-hour minimum day.
What's in the full Oldham 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 Kentucky CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Oldham County Schools guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Oldham 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 Oldham 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.
Oldham County Schools bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to drive for Oldham County Schools?
No. The posting requires only a current driver's license valid in Kentucky. The district employs its own driver trainers and puts new drivers through training to earn the Class B with passenger and School Bus endorsements. Confirm with Transportation whether trainee hours are paid and how long the program runs.
How much do Oldham County bus drivers make?
The FY2025-26 transportation schedule lists a Regular Bus Driver at $21.25 per hour with zero years of experience, with a 6-hour minimum per day. An Open Route Driver at two years earns $25.94 per hour, and an Open Route Trainer earns $28.12. Ask Transportation for the 2026-27 rate, since the new-hire schedule was being updated.
What benefits and bonuses does Oldham County offer?
Listed benefits include six weeks of paid parental leave, 1-to-1 conversion of unused personal days to sick days, and free tuition for children of employees who live outside the county. A district-wide stipend of $5,000 for full-time staff and $2,500 for part-time staff is payable. No driver-specific sign-on bonus was found, and no union represents the drivers.
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 Oldham County Schools.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.