Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools School Bus Driver Guide
No CDL needed to apply. WS/FCS hires Bus Driver Trainees and trains you for your Class B license.
🎁 Limited-time: + free North Carolina CDL Passenger & School Bus study guide
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools is the fourth-largest district in North Carolina, enrolling roughly 54,984 students across more than 80 schools. More than 20,000 of them are served by transportation, with 237 routed buses covering 21,094 route miles and 10,912 stops every day. Heading into the 2026-27 year, about 42 of those 237 buses still lacked drivers days before the first day of school, and hiring remains active.
You do not need a commercial driver's license to apply. WS/FCS lists a Bus Driver Trainee as the entry point: the posting requires a Class B CDL with S and P endorsements that you possess or have the ability to obtain before receiving a bus route, and the district provides onsite training. Drivers are district employees, hourly paid. Be aware of what the district has not published: the current hourly rate, the training course length, and whether trainee hours are paid. This page covers the real Forsyth process and tells you what to confirm with Transportation before you plan around it.
Winston-Salem/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 Winston-Salem/Forsyth County
The path in order. The guide expands every step with the exact forms, links, and figures for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
Confirm you qualify before you apply
North Carolina law sets the floor at age 18 with at least six months of licensed driving experience. The district also requires a driving record that meets its safe-driver standards, and serious moving violations, DUIs, and license suspensions are disqualifying. A high school diploma or GED is preferred, not strictly required. You must hold, or be able to obtain before receiving a bus route, a North Carolina Class B CDL with S and P endorsements.
Apply online for Bus Driver Trainee or Bus Driver
Start at wsfcsnc.tylerportico.com. Current titles include Bus Driver Trainee, Bus Driver (full-time and part-time), Substitute Bus Driver, and Activity Bus Driver. If you have no CDL yet, apply for the Trainee posting. Positions stay open until filled. Complete the full application and certify your driving and employment history accurately.
Interview by phone, virtually, or in person
WS/FCS offers virtual and phone interviews. You can also walk in to the Transportation Department at 4150 Carver School Road between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to inquire, or pre-apply online before a job fair. This is the step to ask the questions the district has not answered publicly: the current hourly rate, whether trainee hours are paid, and when the next training class starts.
Clear the screenings after your offer
After a conditional offer you complete a fingerprint criminal history check, a DOT 5-panel drug screen, and a DOT physical with a valid Medical Examiner's Certificate. Your driving record, including any out-of-state history, is checked against district standards. Under G.S. 115C-332 the board, not you, pays for the criminal check and fingerprinting. The district has not published who covers the physical and drug screen, so ask Transportation before you schedule them.
Earn your CDL through onsite training
School Bus Drivers in Forsyth County need a Class B CDL with the P (passenger) and S (School Bus) endorsements. The district trains Bus Driver Trainees from zero with onsite training. Expect about a week of classroom instruction before you get behind the wheel, then range and road training in air-brake-equipped buses, which satisfies the federal entry-level driver training rule. You pass the knowledge tests, the three-part skills test, and the Physical Performance Standards Test. The course length and whether trainee hours are paid are not published, so confirm both at 336-748-2287.
Finish route training and start driving
After licensing you ride routes with experienced trainers until you know yours, then drive solo. Full-time drivers work about 180 days a year, minimum 4 hours a day, with summers, holidays, and school breaks off, no nights, and no weekends. The Trainee posting lists health, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, a retirement plan, and a referral program, and full-time staff participate in the state retirement system.
What's in the full Winston-Salem/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 North Carolina CDL Passenger & School Bus endorsement study guide — the exact material on the two written tests, so you pass the first time. Bundled with your Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools guide at no extra cost, for a limited time.
The real pay tables
Every step of the Winston-Salem/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 Winston-Salem/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.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools bus driver questions
Do I need a CDL to apply to drive for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools?
No. The district hires Bus Driver Trainees and trains them onsite. The posting requires that you hold a Class B CDL with S and P endorsements or be able to obtain it before receiving a bus route, so you earn the license through the district's program.
How much do WS/FCS School Bus Drivers make?
The district has not published a current bus driver rate or step schedule. The North Carolina state salary schedule sets a $15.00 per hour minimum for bus drivers, and local funds can supplement it. Because the district's own rate is not public, ask Transportation at 336-748-2287 for the current hourly rate on the posting you apply to, and whether trainee hours are paid and at what rate.
Does WS/FCS pay hiring bonuses?
No sign-on, retention, or training bonus appears in the district's 2026 materials. The Bus Driver Trainee posting lists a referral program but publishes no payout amount. Ask Transportation whether any incentive is in effect for the current school year when you call.
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 Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
The whole hiring process in one guide — pay, forms, contacts, and the calendar, all in order.