Getting a driver’s license is an important milestone in every teenager’s life. It marks the start of their journey into adulthood and all the responsibilities that come with it. For parents and teens picking a driver’s ed school can be challenging. How do you know which is the right one? What qualities are important to look out for?
In this article, we are rounding up some of the top schools in Ann Arbor touted by local families and customers as providing a high-quality curriculum in addition to plenty of behind the wheel driving time.
All Star Driver Education
All Star Driver Education has been in business for over 20 years in the Ann Arbor area. It offers a Secretary of State approved class that prepares teens for their Level 1 Michigan driver’s license. This class includes 24 hours of in-classroom instruction where teachers go over the basics of safety in the vehicle and general rules of the road. It also provides 6 hours of practice behind the wheel, and 4 hours of driving observation. This class will take about 4-6 weeks to complete.
Once you’re ready to take your road test, you can schedule it through All Star Driver’s School as well. They offer a road test for teens who are 16 years of age and have completed their Level 1 license requirements, as well as the 50 hours of additional driving time behind the wheel with a qualified adult.
Price for classes: $479.99 for the Level 1 package class, which includes 12 in-person classes. Students must be 14 years and 8 months old at time of registration.
Location: 295 N Zeeb Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103| 734-665-7374| allstardrivereducation.com| Hours 9 am- 5pm Tues- Monday.
A Plus Driving School
To register for A Plus Driving School’s Level 1 license classes, a student must be 14 years and 8 months of age at the time of enrollment. The Level 1 class package comprises 24 hours of classroom instruction, and 6 hours of behind the wheel time. A Plus driving school also offers makeup classes if a student cannot come to the school on a particular day. After completing their instructional classroom experience and driving, and getting their Level 1 license, students must then conduct 50 additional hours behind the wheel driving training.
Price for classes: $499 for the basic package including 6 hours of practice driving. If you would like to upgrade and get more driving practice, the school offers what they call a silver package, which adds on two extra hours of driving time and costs $629, and a gold package, which adds on 4 hours of extra driving time and costs $759.
Location: 2500 Packard St, Suite 200, Ann Arbor, MI 48104| 866-611-3552| aplusdrivingschool.org| Hours: Tues-Mon 7 am-9 pm.
Champion Driving School
This school offers a class for teens interested in obtaining their Level 1 driver’s license that includes 6 hours of behind the wheel time as well as the required Michigan SOS 24 hours of instructional classroom instruction. The classes are held over a period of three weeks, with students required to come to the school Monday-Thursday for a two-hour period of time. Students would then need to schedule their individual practice driving classes with the school directly.
Price for Classes: $479 for the Level 1 driver’s education classes. Includes both virtual and in-person classroom options.
Location: 2512 Carpenter Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48104|734-665-3810| championdrivingschool.com| Hours: Mon. Thurs, Friday 9 am- 5pm & Tues. Wed. 9 am-2:30 pm.
Ann Arbor Driving School
Offers a three-week teen Level 1 driver’s license class that meets Monday-Thursday for two hours in the evening and fulfills the Michigan SOS requirement of 24 hours of classroom instruction time. For the 6-hour driving portion of the Level 1 license requirement, parents must schedule times for their children to practice driving with a qualified instructor directly with the school.
Price for Classes: $495 for the Level 1 class, which also has a bonus 4 hours of observation time in a car, alongside 6 hours of practice driving.
Location: 3092 Platt Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48108|734-996-1000 | annarbordrivingschool.com| Hours: Mon- Friday 10 am- 5pm.
