Farmington Municipal Schools School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL required to apply. FMS trains you for the license and its 2025-26 schedule starts at $20.72/hr.
🎁 Limited-time: + free New Mexico CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Farmington Municipal Schools is the seventh-largest district in New Mexico, enrolling roughly 10,768 students across 19 schools in Farmington and San Juan County. The district runs its own transportation department, with about 90 buses covering 808 square miles and carrying roughly 6,500 students every school day. FMS has faced a persistent driver shortage, which keeps the door open for new hires.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. FMS trains applicants without a CDL and takes you from a regular driver's license to a Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements. The district has not published whether trainee hours are paid or how long training lasts, so this page flags what to confirm with Transportation before you plan around it. It also covers the pay schedule, the 178-day work year, and the full application path.
Farmington Municipal 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 Farmington
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Farmington Municipal Schools.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
You need a valid driver's license and a record that meets the FMS safe-driver standards. Serious moving violations, DUIs, and license suspensions disqualify you. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not required. New Mexico sets no minimum age for School Bus Drivers beyond the federal CDL floor of 18 for intrastate driving, and districts commonly set 21 or older, so confirm the current age requirement with Transportation.
Apply online for "School Bus Driver"
FMS posts openings on its Frontline hiring portal at applitrack.com/fmsk12. Search the title "School Bus Driver". Postings stay open until filled, so apply promptly when you see one. Complete the full application and certify your driving and employment history accurately.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
FMS offers virtual and phone interviews. You can also walk in to the Transportation compound between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire, or pre-apply online before a job fair. Interviewers look for reliability, safe driving habits, and the patience and authority to manage students.
Clear the post-offer screenings
After a conditional offer you complete a fingerprint-based FBI criminal history check, a DOT drug screen, and a DOT physical that earns your Medical Examiner's Certificate. Under New Mexico law the public school pays for an applicant's fingerprint check. FMS has not published who pays for the physical and drug screen, so ask Transportation up front.
Earn your CDL through the FMS training program
School Bus Drivers need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements. You do not need it to apply. FMS trains and licenses you, and the district covers the CDL training itself. Classroom instruction runs about one week before you get behind the wheel, and the program satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule. Whether trainee hours are paid and how long the program runs are not published, so confirm both before you plan around them.
Ride with a trainer, then drive your route
After you pass the three-part CDL skills test in a School Bus, you ride your route with an experienced trainer until you know it, then drive solo. Full-time drivers move into 178-day assignments with a minimum of 6 hours a day. Ongoing requirements include 8 hours of in-service training per semester, an annually printed driving record, and current first aid and CPR.
What's in the full Farmington Municipal 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 New Mexico CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Farmington Municipal Schools guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Farmington Municipal 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 Farmington Municipal 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.
Farmington Municipal Schools bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to drive a School Bus for Farmington Municipal Schools?
No. FMS trains applicants without a CDL from scratch. The district's program takes you from a regular driver's license to a Class B CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements and satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule. Holding a CDL already is not required to apply.
How much do FMS School Bus Drivers make?
The 2025-26 FMS Bus Driver Salary Schedule runs from $20.72 per hour at Step 0 to $29.78 per hour at Step 30, on a 178-day, 6-hour basis. Step 0 works out to about $22,126 a year. Confirm your starting placement with FMS Human Resources, because placement depends on verified experience. Benefits include district health, dental, and vision coverage and the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board pension.
Does FMS pay me while I train, and is there a union or bonus?
FMS has not published whether trainee hours are paid, so ask Transportation at (505) 599-8623 before you apply. No sign-on, training, or attendance bonus for School Bus Drivers is documented. No union represents FMS drivers; pay, benefits, and working conditions are set by the district's board and administration.
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 Farmington Municipal Schools.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.