Other Protective Service Workers

How to become a School Bus Monitor

Official title: School Bus Monitors

Also called: Bus Aide, Bus Assistant, Bus Attendant, Bus Monitor, Bus Paraeducator, School Bus Aide, School Transportation Aide, SPED Bus Aide (Special Ed Bus Aide), SPED Bus Paraeducator (Special Education Bus Paraeducator), SPED School Bus Monitor (Special Education School Bus Monitor)

Maintain order among students on a school bus. Duties include helping students safely board and exit and communicating behavioral problems. May perform pretrip and posttrip inspections and prepare for and assist in emergency evacuations.

Main tasks

Buckle seatbelts or fasten wheelchair tie-down straps to secure passengers for transportation.
Escort young children across roads or highways.
Assist children with disabilities or children with psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues with boarding and exiting the school bus.
Monitor the conduct of students to maintain discipline and safety.
Evacuate students from the school bus in emergency situations.
Direct students boarding and exiting the school bus.
Direct students evacuating the bus during safety drills.
Operate a wheelchair lift to load or unload wheelchairs.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $35,100 a year The middle half earn $31,760 to $37,760.
About 76,700 people work in this job now, and about 75,300 are projected by 2035. (-1.9%)
People already use generative AI for a good share of this work, which usually changes the job more than it replaces it. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as high.

Questions people ask

How much does a School Bus Monitor earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $35,100 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $31,760 to $37,760.

Is a School Bus Monitor a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 76,700 people now and 75,300 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a School Bus Monitor?

Usually not. Only 9% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a School Bus Monitor?

People already use generative AI for a good share of this work, which usually changes the job more than it replaces it. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as high.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.