Teen Driver education FAQs

We  provide high level driver education services to Grapevine, Roanoke, Coppell, Keller & surrounding  communities by offering Instructor led classroom sessions,online programs, drive lessons,  authorized DPS road testing & other driver education services at  most locations.  (contact one of our offices for  service availability) 

Where is GLDA located? 

• GLDA's corporate office in Roanoke supporting  “drive only” locations in  Coppell, & Saginaw (EMS-ISD). 
• GLDA also has office locations in Grapevine & coming soon to Keller. 

Drive lessons will begin & end at:

• Roanoke office - 610 E. Byron Nelson Blvd. #111 
• Grapevine office -  621 N. Main Street, Suite 410 (corner of Main Street & Wildwood Ct.) 
• Coppell (drive only location) - 509 W Bethel Rd, Coppell, TX 75019 (GLDA's former Coppell office)
• Saginaw (EMS-ISD) (drive only location) - Hafley Dev. Center 616 W McLeroy Blvd, Saginaw, TX 76179  
• Keller office -891 Keller Parkway. Keller, TX 76248 (opening summer 2025)

To receive a drivers license, who is required to complete a driver education course? 

• Any person who is age 14 to under 25 must complete a driver education course.

I want to take a driver education course, what are the course options?

You may use the following options:

• Enrolling in a class (traditional) instructor led- Mon-Thur - 2 hrs per day for 3 weeks. Class  taught by GLDA instructor via ZOOM app with instructor led behind-the-wheel instruction.
•   Online class - (self paced- no instructor )  with instructor led behind-the-wheel instruction.
• Parent Taught Driver Education program with GLDA.
• Complete driver education via a combination of GLDA's parent taught program & instructors at GLDA

How much do the driver education courses cost?

• Option prices varies -  GLDA Program Options 
• Full tuition & fee list & discount options

What methods of payment does GLDA accept? 

1. Cash
2. Personal Check 
3. Credit Card or Debit Card

•  3% convenience fee applied to ALL credit & debit card transactions
• Convenience fees are not refundable. NO EXCEPTIONS. 
• Master Card, Visa & Discover cards only (NO AMERICAN EXPRESS)

How long is the teen driver education course? 

TX Dept of Licensing & Regulation  Requirements

• Classroom phase - 24 hrs - cannot be completed in less than 12 days
• In-car phase - 7 hrs - behind-the-wheel driving, 7 hrs - observation - REQUIRED TO OBTAIN CLASS C DRIVERS LICENSE - GLDA suggests scheduling 1 drive lesson per month to allow for ample practice. More than 1 lesson per month may be completed by students, BUT SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED. 
• GLDA SUGGESTS THAT PARENTS ALLOW 6-8 MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE BEHIND-THE-WHEEL PORTION OF THE COURSE WITH GLDA INSTRUCTORS, ONCE THE STUDENT LEARNER'S PERMIT HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY GLDA OFFICE STAFF.   
• An additional 30 hrs - behind-the-wheel driving - 10 hrs must be at night *** additional 30 hrs monitored by the parent or guardian - must be completed in the presence of an adult who holds a valid license, is 21 or older, has at least one year of driving experience ***
• GLDA SUGGESTS at LEAST 100 HOURS OF PRACTICE OR MORE FOR ALL STUDENTS (TEENS & ADULTS) to GAIN THE  SKILLS & CONFIDENCE NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON THE AUTHORIZED DPS ROAD TEST. 

What are the timelines to complete a teen driver education course?

• GLDA's contract period is ONE (1) YEAR. Students must complete all instruction provided by GLDA instructors by the contract deadline. (ONE YEAR from the first day of classroom instruction for traditional zoom or receipt of the classroom code for the online course or enrollment date for drive only students)

When can my teen obtain a learner license (learner permit)?

• A student must be 15 years of age & complete the first 6 hrs of drivers ed class

When can my teen obtain a Provisional License? 

• Once the student has held the learner license for at least 6 months, is 16 years old or older, and has completed all driver education hours (24 classroom and 44 driving hours), the student may then take the authorized DPS driving exam at Green Light Driving Academy. Upon successful completion of the authorized DPS driving exam, the student will then be issued a driver license by DPS officials at a Texas DPS office.  

At what age can a person begin a driver education course at GLDA? 

• Teens can begin driver education (classroom portion) at age 14. 

             (GLDA suggests students are at least 14 1/2 years old.) 

If my teen misses a class or classes of driver education , can they make up those hours?

• Yes, students can make-up any class(es) missed. Students must attend the full classroom session and successfully complete the daily assignment for that class session to receive make-up credit. All 24 hours of classroom instruction must be completed before the contract deadline & before the course completion certificate (DE964) will be issued. Coordinate with the GLDA office for make-up class options. 

  Adult students must have a valid learner's permit for the state of Texas.

• Persons age 18-24 years old must take a 6-hour adult driver education course to obtain a learner's permit.

 6-HOUR TEXAS LEARNERS PERMIT COURSE

The class (through "IamRoadReady") is a 6-hour online course that includes the TX Dept. of Public Safety permit test.  A certificate is provided upon successful completion of the course. This certificate, along with other documentation, is used to obtain the learner's permit from the Texas Department of Public Safety. 

NOTE:  This course is available for anyone over 18 years of age but IS a requirement for all persons age 18-24  to obtain the learners permit & to take the authorized DPS Road Test.

The cost of the 6-hour online course  (through IamRoadReady) is $39.00 (price subject to change & paid online).

 To register for the course, click on the following link:  IamRoadReady 

 PLEASE NOTE:  Payment for any of the adult instruction must be made by credit card or cash at the time of scheduling.  Check, money order or cashier's check not accepted. NO EXCEPTIONS.

GLDA offers the Authorized DPS Road Test for Adults = $120.00 We will contact you within 72 hours of your submission.

Testing is available at the following GLDA locations:

• Grapevine
• Roanoke
• Boyd
• Saginaw

Test sites coming soon to:

• Denton
• Ft. Worth
• Keller

The following packages include:  Regular and/or Review Lessons, a Test Preparation Lesson AND the Authorized DPS Road Test

• Student must have a valid non-expired Texas learner's permit
• All driving instruction (lessons) & DPS Road Test completed in a GLDA vehicle.
• FOR PRE-TEST PREPARATION LESSON AND AUTHORIZED DPS ROAD TEST:  The student will need to be brought to the GLDA location where the  Road Test will be given.

AVAILABLE OPTIONS:

1. Authorized DPS Road Test ONLY = $120.00
2. Pre-Test Preparation lesson + Authorized DPS Road Test = $220.00
3. 2 hours (1 hour regular/review lesson & Pre-Test Preparation lesson) +Authorized DPS Road Test = $295.00
4. 3 hours (2 hour regular/review lessons & Pre-Test Preparation lesson) +Authorized DPS Road Test = $370.00
5. 4 hours (3 hour regular/review lessons & Pre-Test Preparation lesson) + Authorized DPS Road Test = $455.00
6. 7 hours (6 regular/review lessons & Pre-Test Preparation lesson) + Authorized DPS Road Test = $670.00

• any additional regular/review lessons outside of these packages = $100 per hour for each additional hour

INSTRUCTION ONLY PACKAGES

These packages are for instruction only.  NO AUTHORIZED DPS ROAD TEST INCLUDED.

• Student must have a valid non-expired Texas learner's permit
• All driving instruction (lessons) will be done in a GLDA vehicle.
• Authorized DPS Road Test can be purchased after lessons are complete for the regular price of $120.00.

AVAILABLE OPTIONS:

1. 1-9 hours of instruction = $100.00 per hour
2. 10+ hours of instruction = $85.00 per hour

Please visit any of our Green Light Driving Academy offices to sign up for instruction or schedule an AUTHORIZED DPS ROAD TEST.