How to hire a crossing guard

How to hire a crossing guard, step by step

Here's a step-by-step crossing guard hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a crossing guard job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new crossing guard
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a crossing guard do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the crossing guard you need to hire. Certain crossing guard roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A crossing guard's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, crossing guards from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of crossing guards and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Crossing Guard	Description	Hourly rate
   Crossing Guard		$11-20
   Flagger	A flagger is an employee who is hired by government agencies or construction companies to control the flow of traffic around road construction sites. To control the flow of traffic, flaggers must erect warning signs and position traffic cones and barricades to guide drivers through the traffic flow... Show more	$10-18
   School Crossing Guard	A school crossing guard is an adult whose work is to ensure the safety of students and any other pedestrian or cyclist as they cross the road while heading or coming from school. They encourage safety for all people crossing the road around the school premises... Show more	$10-37

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patrol
   • Kids
   • Emergency Situations
   • Vehicular Traffic
   • Direct Traffic
   • Pedestrian Traffic
   • Traffic Laws
   • Safety Procedures
   • Law Enforcement
   • Student Safety
   • CPR
   • Safety Rules
   • Hand Signals
   • Public Safety

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain alertness of students trying to cross the street.
   • Patrol and secure building and surrounding property; monitor CCTV's and utilize radio communications.
   • Patrol and secure building and surrounding property; monitor CCTV's and utilize radio communications.

   More crossing guard duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your crossing guard job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A crossing guard salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, crossing guards' average salary in mississippi is 45% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level crossing guards earn 44% less than senior-level crossing guards.
   • Certifications. A crossing guard with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a crossing guard's salary.

   Average crossing guard salary

   $15.75hourly

   $32,761 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level crossing guard salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 17, 2026

   Average crossing guard salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$38,956	$19
   2	Oregon	$37,877	$18
   3	New Hampshire	$37,176	$18
   4	Wisconsin	$36,035	$17
   5	California	$35,730	$17
   6	Iowa	$35,025	$17
   7	Connecticut	$34,985	$17
   8	Pennsylvania	$34,587	$17
   9	Alaska	$34,517	$17
   10	Ohio	$34,479	$17
   11	Massachusetts	$34,023	$16
   12	Illinois	$33,904	$16
   13	Virginia	$32,719	$16
   14	Montana	$32,485	$16
   15	Kentucky	$30,305	$15
   16	Michigan	$28,973	$14
   17	Texas	$28,034	$13
   18	Utah	$26,246	$13
   19	Arizona	$26,118	$13
   20	Alabama	$24,792	$12

   Average crossing guard salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dublin City Schools	$45,896	$22.07	2
   2	Midway	$41,203	$19.81
   3	Chicago Public Schools	$41,057	$19.74	2
   4	National Express	$40,453	$19.45	4
   5	City of Covington	$37,948	$18.24	1
   6	City of Austin	$37,772	$18.16
   7	Village of Lincolnwood	$37,686	$18.12
   8	City of Corinth	$37,177	$17.87
   9	Coe	$36,018	$17.32
   10	City of Tacoma	$35,942	$17.28
   11	Loudoun County Social Svc	$35,907	$17.26	1
   12	Brinker International	$35,480	$17.06
   13	The SOS Group	$35,030	$16.84
   14	Naperville School District 203	$34,484	$16.58
   15	City of Racine	$34,096	$16.39
   16	Goldbelt Falcon	$33,900	$16.30
   17	Greenfield Union School District	$33,823	$16.26
   18	Washington City Paper	$33,802	$16.25
   19	Andover Public Schools	$33,699	$16.20
   20	Woodstock, Georgia	$33,574	$16.14

4. Writing a crossing guard job description

   A crossing guard job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a crossing guard job description:

   Crossing guard job description example

   The City of Woodstock is a charming historic community of 25,528, located 55 miles northwest of Chicago on Metra rail. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Woodstock is a community unlike any other boasting historic 19th century buildings, dining, entertainment, accommodations, specialty shops, professional services, art galleries, and live theater. The City employs approximately 325 (full-time, part-time and seasonal) employees in a variety of departments within the organization, such as Office of the City Manager, Building & Zoning, Economic Development, Finance, Information Technology, Human Resources, Public Library, Opera House, Police, Public Works and Recreation. Our employees work to serve the residents and strive to make the City of Woodstock the best community it can be.

   
   

   Job Summary

   The City of Woodstock is accepting applications for a seasonal School Crossing Guard with the Woodstock Police Department immediately as a relief Crossing Guard position with the possibility of an assigned location for the 2021-2022 school year. The Crossing Guard staff is responsible for seven (7) dedicated school crossings within the City of Woodstock, providing for the safe transit of our community's children to and from school. Crossing Guards work Monday – Friday at a designated crossing location during the school year. Most positions are scheduled in two shifts: 1.5 hours in the early morning and 2 hours mid-afternoon. This position will have the following assigned crossing location and shift times:

   
   

   Day

   Crossing Location

   Shift Times

   Total Hours Per Day

   Monday – Friday

   Dean Street and Forrest Avenue

   7:00 AM – 7:50 AM

   2:00 PM – 2:30 PM

   1 Hour 20 minutes

   
   

   Minimum Qualifications

   1. Consistent work record demonstrating dependability and punctuality.
   2. Ability to deal with the general public, especially children, in a pleasant, courteous manner.
   3. Tolerance of all weather conditions and ability to work in various temperatures.
   4. Ability to stand and walk for the entire 1.5 – 2 hour shift.
   5. Visual and auditory acuity, whether natural or corrected.

   
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find crossing guards for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your crossing guard job on Zippia to find and recruit crossing guard candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with crossing guard candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new crossing guard

   Once you've selected the best crossing guard candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new crossing guard. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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