Steps to Teen Licensing: 101

STEP 1: Classroom Portion (Duration: 32 Hours)

All teenagers are required by the state to complete 32 hours of classroom instruction with a state-licensed driver education provider. Spring Driving School boasts the highest qualified and trained TDLR-certified Instructors to educate our students thoroughly and have them graduating with knowledge well beyond the state-required minimum level of instruction.

We offer our standard 4-week class (Monday-Thursday, 2 hours a day), and also our 5-day class during special times of the year (breaks, holidays, etc.). Please refer to our Teen Class Schedule to enroll according to your convenience.

STEP 2: Driving Portion (Duration: 3-6 Months)

After your child completes the 32-Hour Teen Class with us and gets their Learner's Permit from the Texas Department of Public Safety (also commonly referred to as the "DPS"), they will be able to start scheduling their driving lessons with us. Note: Minimum age to get Learner's Permit is 15 years old

The state requires that the student must complete 14 hours in the car with a State-Licensed Driving Instructor, where 7 of those hours must be driving hours and the other 7 must be observing hours.

We tackle this state requirement by giving 7 total driving lessons (2 hours each). Each lesson (or drive time as we call it in this industry) consists of 1 hour of driving and 1 hour of observing. After the 7 drive times, the student will have satisfied the state-required 14 hours of in-car instruction with a state-licensed instructor.

Because every teen must hold their Learner's Permit for a minimum of 6 months before even being eligible to apply for their actual driver's license, every student will complete their drive times throughout the 6 month permit-holding-period. We have drive times every single day throughout our locations, but require that students schedule lessons with a minimum of 7 days in between each lesson. This ensures your child receives the highest possible quality driver education they can get. There is no rush to a solid education!

IMPORTANT: During the 6 months that a teen must hold their Learner's Permit, they must also fill out their state-required 30-hour Driving Log. This requirement, however, can be done by anyone who is 21+ and has held their driver's license for more than 1 year.

STEP 3: Impact Video (Duration: 2 Hours)

Texas Requires that all teens must watch a free 2-hour video called the Impact Video (topic: distracted driving). This must be completed prior to the student's driving test and the certificate must be printed out and brought to your driving test. Because the certificate is only valid for 90 days, students will usually watch it a lot closer to the time they take their driving test.

STEP 4: The Driving Test (15 to 20 Minutes)

After the student has completed all of the state-requirements (and are 16+ years old), they are now eligible to take the driving test with us (also known as, The DPS-Authorized Road Test). We assess the student's skills through a few maneuvers and measurements.

But don't worry! If you did Drivers Ed with us, chances are that you are already familiar with 1) the local roads our test route is on, and 2) what we expect on the road test, and 3) our vehicles and instructors.

So we look forward to guiding you through all of the steps to getting you not only licensed, but also well-versed and well-educated on everything driving related!