Skills & Careers
Two of metro Atlanta’s largest school systems had dozens of paraprofessional and aide postings open on Friday, Oct. 30, and the listings spell out a route into classroom work that does not require a teaching certificate. Atlanta Public Schools showed 25 listings in its paraprofessional and aide category, and Gwinnett County Public Schools showed 34 in its paraprofessional category, according to the districts’ online job boards checked at about 4:30 p.m. ET. Postings are recruiting activity, not hires, and neither district’s board says how the current number compares with past years.
What Atlanta Public Schools lists
The APS board, marked “Openings as of 10/30/2026,” carried 117 postings in all. Of the 25 in the paraprofessional and aide category, 16 are special education paraprofessional jobs at individual schools, many tied to autism or other specific classroom programs. The rest are three hourly paraprofessional jobs, two 21st Century afterschool paraprofessional jobs, a media paraprofessional at Therrell High School, a pre-K paraprofessional at Hollis K-8 Academy and two hourly non-instructional aide jobs. The newest special education postings were at Douglass High School, posted Oct. 30, and Parkside Elementary School, posted Oct. 28.
The APS listings reviewed set the same minimum: a current Georgia paraprofessional certificate; or a high school diploma or GED plus a passing score on the state paraprofessional assessment; or an associate’s degree or two years of college study. Two years of experience with children is preferred. Salaried paraprofessional jobs list a 202-day work year and point to the district’s salary schedule rather than giving a dollar figure. Hourly listings do state pay: $20.86 an hour for an hourly paraprofessional at Humphries Elementary, $18.60 an hour for up to 29 hours a week for the non-instructional aide jobs at Sylvan Hills Middle and Douglass High, and $18.06 an hour for up to 29 hours a week for the afterschool paraprofessional at Scott Elementary.
Special education postings describe duties beyond tutoring, including carrying out students’ individualized education programs and behavior plans, collecting progress data, and helping students with feeding, toileting, mobility, hygiene and medications.
What Gwinnett lists
Gwinnett’s board, also marked “Openings as of 10/30/2026,” carried 196 postings. Of its 34 paraprofessional listings, 32 are special education jobs at named schools, sorted by program, including autism support at four levels and classes for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, physical or intellectual disabilities and special education pre-K. The other two are district-wide pool postings for general paraprofessionals in grades K-5 and 6-12, each listing “All Schools” as the location and a target of 100 openings. That is the district’s stated target for each pool, not a count of empty positions. Five special education listings were posted Tuesday, Oct. 27, at North Gwinnett Middle and at Taylor, Partee and Dyer elementary schools.
Unlike APS, Gwinnett posts pay on all 34 of its paraprofessional listings: $29,102 to $45,094 a year for 190 scheduled days, with 40 standard hours a week. Its listings require the state paraprofessional certificate and a high school diploma or GED with a passing paraprofessional assessment score, or, in lieu of the assessment, 60 semester or 90 quarter hours from a commission-approved college; experience in a licensed child-care setting is preferred. Special education listings mention lifting up to 50 pounds and responding to emergencies, including physical de-escalation after training. The district’s career fairs page directs applicants to its online application under the paraprofessionals category.
The Georgia license
Every Georgia paraprofessional must hold a license issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission under Rule 505-2-.18, effective July 1, 2020. Applicants qualify in one of three ways: an associate’s degree or higher in any subject from an accepted accredited school; two years of college coursework, defined as 60 semester hours above the remedial level with grades of C or better; or a passing score on the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment plus a high school diploma or GED. Applicants must also meet the commission’s standards of conduct.
The license is requested by the hiring school district, not by the applicant alone. It is valid for five years, carries no subject designation and covers paraprofessional duties from pre-K through 12th grade. Renewal requires current employment as a paraprofessional in a Georgia district.
Applicants should read each posting closely, because schedules, pay and student needs vary by school and program, and listings can close without notice.
Sources
- Atlanta Public Schools, “Open Positions for Atlanta Public Schools,” openings as of October 30, 2026. https://www.applitrack.com/atlantapublicschools/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?all=1&embed=1
- Gwinnett County Public Schools, online job postings, openings as of October 30, 2026. https://www.applitrack.com/gwinnett/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?all=1&embed=1
- Gwinnett County Public Schools, “Career Fairs,” accessed October 30, 2026. https://www.gcpsk12.org/about-us/careers/career-fairs
- Georgia Professional Standards Commission, “505-2-.18 Paraprofessional License,” effective July 1, 2020. https://www.gapsc.com/Rules/Current/Certification/505-2-.18.pdf
Featured photo: Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia, a Gwinnett County Public Schools campus, Aug. 1, 2015. Representative image. Photo: Thomson200, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Cropped from the original.
