how much does driver's ed cost at your public school?

[Grumpy's Gal]

I never thought about it -- I was just talking with friends who said it cost $200. This is public school. I thought it was free!

 

[peanut12392]

425.00 here

 

[uva185]

Hmmm.... We don't have drivers ed at our public schools. I think ours cost between $200 - $300 for a 2 week class + on the road instruction.

Perhaps the school just contracts with an outside company to make it convenient for the students. Nevertheless not everything is free at public schools. (Field trips, activity fees, lab fees, etc.)

 

[msmayor]

Our district offers "Driver's Ed" which is basically preparation to take the written driving test (which is the "final exam" in the class). If they pass the test, they are given a card which is valid for two years and needs to be presented to DMV in order to get their permit.

In NJ, you can get your permit at age 16 ONLY if you take 6 hours of driver's education from a certified driving instructor. Our school doesn't offer that (very expensive to keep and insure the cars) so we have to use private driving schools. Now, a kid can avoid the driving school thing but then they can't get their permit until 17. Most want it ASAP.

It cost $375 total for permitting fees and service (the driving school has to get the permit, and holds it until the 6 hours of behind-the-wheel is completed) and my daughter had three two-hour driving sessions. Once she finished, she got a 'report card' that basically said she wasn't ready to drive with her parents and that she needed more professional 'training' (translation: pay us more $$) but we didn't go for it. In addition, they informed us that we could have them take her for her road test (when she turned 17) in one of their cars for an extra $90.

 

[MrsPete]

I never thought about it -- I was just talking with friends who said it cost $200. This is public school. I thought it was free!

It's not part of the regular diploma-bound courses, so schools aren't required to pay for it. Personally, I think schools SHOULDN'T pay for it because that means more money is left for academics. School can't be everything to everyone, and if they could get out of the be-all-end-all business, they could do a better job of educating kids!

Of course, the other side of that coin is that some families wouldn't pay for driver's ed classes elsewhere, and that'd mean kids would be on the road (at 18 instead of 16 -- in my state, anyway, you can't get a license at 16 unless you've had driver's ed) without having had proper instruction. That is not an attractive proposition.

But back to the question: It is free in my area. I think it varies.

Just for the record, my state requires 30 hours of classroom instruction, then 6 hours of behind-the-wheel time. Once that's done, they get a certificate, which they can take to the DMV. At the DMV they must pass a written test, and then they're allowed to drive with a parent during daylight hours. They must have the permit for a full year, then they can go get their provisional license; that allows them to drive during daylight hours. After 6 months, it automatically "becomes" an all-day license, and they can drive at night. Until they are 18, this license, however, is provisional. It can be lost more easily than an adult's license (i.e., fewer speeding tickets = loss of license).

 

[scoutmom41]

$235 at our public school if student is enrolled in that school.

 

[daleswife]

Well we must be blessed then cause our drivers ed classes are offered as an elective class and they are free!!! Just another class at school for the kids to take!!!

 

[jerseygirl81]

Hmmm.... We don't have drivers ed at our public schools. I think ours cost between $200 - $300 for a 2 week class + on the road instruction.

Perhaps the school just contracts with an outside company to make it convenient for the students. Nevertheless not everything is free at public schools. (Field trips, activity fees, lab fees, etc.)

This is true, if everything was free our taxes would be even higher!

 

[here757]

here its offered as an elective and its free... but its the range portion that is not part of the class that costs.. granted im old.. but i remember paying 180. my folks had me pay half.

 

[mjkacmom]

It was offered at school when I was a kid (my gym teacher taught me - LOL), but now you have to pay an outside company, and as a PP mentioned, it's the only way you can get your permit before age 17 here in NJ.

 

[debbi801]

It's not offered in the schools here. They stopped offering it shortly after I got out of high school, and that was over 20 years ago. LOL

I just paid 390.00 for my son. That included 30 hours of class time and 6 hours driving. He needs 60+ hours of logged driving time total before he can get his license.

 

[Claire064]

Our school district has the course as an elective and it is free. Sometime it is difficult to get into the course. My 15 year old just finished it in the fall.

 

[Inigo]

The driver's ed program at both high schools in my county, and all three high schools in the next county, is about $300. It's the same whether it's taken as a semester long class or during the month long summer session. (The same number of hours, just spread out over a different number of days.)

I checked with the private driving schools two years ago, and they charged $330 for the class, and it could be completed in about 2 or 3 weeks.

We went with the class at our high school during summer school, since I knew all the instructors either from working with them at school or from when I was in high school.

 

[goofyboyzmom]

We paid $250 for Segment 1 and $50 for Segment 2. They take it at the high schools, but it is an independent company that contracts with the schools for space.

 

[disney4us2002]

My son is in driver's ed currently. While it is housed at the local high schools, the class is actually paid for through continuing educ at community college. Students must attend 30 hours of classtime and have 6 hours of driving with a driving teacher and then additional 60 hrs w/licensed driver. The class cost $310. They have to be 15yrs 9mos to get their learner's and then they must hold those for no less than 6 months. I hear it is changing to 17 soon but haven't seen it in writing.

 

[smylie1]

Here, it's offered in a 3 hours per day, 1 month long course right after school. It is free to enrolled students who have at least a 2.0 GPA.

 

[daisyduck123]

It's not offered at the public schools in my county.

 

[disneymom2003]

Drivers Ed is an elective course. Drivers Training has to be taken outside of school and is about $300. You have to have both in my state to get your license.

 

[hegs65]

Wow! I wish it was offered in our schools! We just paid $700 for our sons classes and required driving lessons.

 

[janni518]

The school course was free. The 6 hour behind the wheel course was over $600. I'm in Morris County NJ.