What does a crossing guard do?
A crossing guard directs and escorts pedestrians when crossing the street, enforcing traffic laws when necessary. They have the authority to control both pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and they will sometimes be responsible for directing traffic to avoid hazards. In some areas, a crossing guard may also control railroad warning signals, lower and raise railroad gates, and coordinate with law enforcement officers when violations occur.
Crossing guard responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real crossing guard resumes:
- 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.
Crossing guard skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Crossing Guards are proficient in Patrol, Kids, and Emergency Situations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Good judgment, and Observation skills.
We break down the percentage of Crossing Guards that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patrol, 11%
Performed as the City of Chicago-Bureau of Patrol / Human Resource Dept.
- Kids, 11%
Work for the school district and Police department helping kids get across the road safely.
- Emergency Situations, 8%
Intervene in potential emergency situations for the purpose of minimizing injury to involved parties.
- Vehicular Traffic, 6%
Control vehicular traffic as necessary.
- Direct Traffic, 6%
Direct or escort pedestrians across streets Communicate traffic and crossing rules Direct traffic movement Inform drivers of detour routes through construction sites
- Pedestrian Traffic, 5%
Guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic within designated areas.
Most crossing guards use their skills in "patrol," "kids," and "emergency situations" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential crossing guard responsibilities here:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a crossing guard to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what crossing guards do because "security guards and surveillance officers must communicate effectively with others, even in stressful situations." Additionally, a crossing guard resume shows how crossing guards use communication skills: "help ensure the safety of children crossing the street having communication with children and parents ensuring children follow the safety rules"
Observation skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of crossing guards is observation skills. This skill is critical to many everyday crossing guard duties, as "security guards and surveillance officers must be alert and aware of their surroundings, and be able to quickly recognize anything out of the ordinary." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "monitored for loitering and illegal activity outside of buildings, including apartments and construction sites wrote reports every hour about observations"
The three companies that hire the most crossing guards are:
- The SOS Group
26 crossing guards jobs
- Andy Frain Services18 crossing guards jobs
- Jeffrey C Still Middle School
15 crossing guards jobs
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Compare different crossing guards
Crossing guard vs. 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. They are responsible for informing the construction crew of any issues that may affect their safety. Flaggers are also required to record the license plate numbers of motorists who did not obey traffic signs and directions.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a crossing guard are more likely to require skills like "patrol," "kids," "emergency situations," and "traffic laws." On the other hand, a job as a flagger requires skills like "work ethic," "asphalt," "traffic flow," and "heed." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Flaggers tend to make the most money working in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $30,808. In contrast, crossing guards make the biggest average salary, $33,818, in the government industry.flaggers tend to reach similar levels of education than crossing guards. In fact, flaggers are 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Crossing guard vs. Flagman
Each career also uses different skills, according to real crossing guard resumes. While crossing guard responsibilities can utilize skills like "patrol," "kids," "emergency situations," and "vehicular traffic," flagmen use skills like "track safety," "fra," "traffic control devices," and "train crews."
In general, flagmen achieve similar levels of education than crossing guards. They're 0.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Crossing guard vs. Rail signal worker
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, crossing guards are more likely to have skills like "patrol," "kids," "emergency situations," and "vehicular traffic." But a rail signal worker is more likely to have skills like "hand tools," "hoisting," "hoists," and "construction equipment."
When it comes to education, rail signal workers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to crossing guards. In fact, they're 1.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Crossing guard vs. School patrol
Types of crossing guard
Updated January 8, 2025
