How to become a paraeducator (instructional aide) in California

Updated 2026-09-29

To work as a paraeducator in a California school (districts also say instructional aide or instructional assistant), you need a high school diploma or the equivalent, plus one of these:

• two years of college (48 semester units)
• an associate's degree or higher
• a passing score on the district's paraeducator test

You don't need a teaching credential, and if you pass the test, you don't need any college at all.

There are 2,009 aide and paraeducator jobs open right now at 668 districts and schools. The typical district pays about $20 to $26.67 an hour (see every district).

What the job is like

Paraeducators work alongside a teacher to help students learn. Depending on the job, you might:

• work with small groups or one student on reading and math in a regular classroom
• support students with disabilities in special education, which can include personal care (help with eating or the bathroom) and some lifting
• follow a student's behavior plan as a behavior technician (some of these jobs ask for a Registered Behavior Technician, or RBT, certificate)
• work as a bilingual aide with students who are learning English (you'll usually need to speak a second language, and some districts test it)
• help out in a transitional kindergarten (TK), kindergarten or preschool classroom

Most paraeducator jobs follow the school calendar, and many are part-time, often 3 to 6½ hours a day. Whether you get health benefits usually depends on your hours, so check the posting or ask.

Where the education rule comes from

The rule for aides who help teach comes from California's Education Code (section 45330) and the rules for Title I, the federal money that goes to schools with many low-income students. It doesn't apply to jobs where you don't help teach, like cafeteria work, yard duty, office work or aide jobs that are only personal care.

Each district picks its own test, and some add requirements of their own. That's why a lot of aide postings spell the rule out.

The three ways to qualify

• 48 units means 48 semester units (or 72 quarter units) of college classes. Send your transcripts with your application.
• For an associate's degree or higher, a copy of the degree or your transcript is usually enough.
• For the test, districts use their own or one from their county office of education. Fresno County's test, for example, has 100 multiple-choice questions on reading, writing, math and helping students learn. You need 70% to pass, and it costs $10. Ask the district which test it uses and whether it accepts a passing score from another district.

Getting hired

Districts call the same job "paraeducator," "instructional aide" or "instructional assistant," so search for all three. Job titles often add a level (I, II or III) and a program (special education, TK, bilingual).

Look for "pool" postings too. Many districts post one ongoing job for all their aide openings and hire from it all year.

Have your proof ready: your diploma, plus transcripts or a test score. Some districts only give their test after you apply.

The interview is usually with a small panel, often a principal and a teacher or two, who ask how you'd handle real classroom situations. After an offer, you'll get fingerprinted (it's called Live Scan) and do a tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment. Special education jobs sometimes ask for CPR and first aid training as well.

A few big districts, including Los Angeles Unified, hire through what's called a merit system. You take an exam, your name goes on a ranked eligibility list, and the district interviews people from that list. Watch for the exam dates on those postings.

Working as a substitute aide, sometimes called a "substitute instructional assistant," is another way to start. You learn the district, and the district gets to know you.

What paraeducators make

Aide pay at the typical district runs about $20 to $26.67 an hour this school year. The highest posted pay right now is at Weaver Union School District ($18–$57.11/hr), Mountain View Los Altos High ($41.06–$52.14/hr) and San Marcos Unified School District ($18.41–$51.46/hr). Most districts set pay with a salary schedule: you start at step 1, the bottom of the range, and move up a step each year. See aide pay for every district.

From aide to teacher

Plenty of teachers started out as aides. California has funded grants to help classified school employees (staff in jobs that don't need a teaching credential, like aides) become teachers. The Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program has paid up to $4,000 a year toward college costs. It's run locally and the money comes in rounds, so ask your district or county office of education whether there's a program near you. If TK is where you want to end up, see how to become a TK teacher in California.

Sources: the California Department of Education's paraprofessional requirements, Fresno County's paraeducator exam and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing's Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program. Job counts and pay come from current job postings and update daily.