Third-party drive tests with state-certified examiners.
Class, permit test, and 6 hours of lessons.
Course online, testing and lessons in person.
Behind-the-wheel lessons with patient and certified instructors.
Your teen takes Colorado's #1 online driving course, created by American Driving Academy for new Colorado drivers. Centennial teens complete the state-approved, self-paced 30-hour course at home. The course is just the start. Family-owned since 1999, we aim for the best safety record in the country by exceeding state and industry standards. We prepare teens for safe, confident driving and help your family through permit testing, driving lessons, the drive test, and post-license Driver Skills Day. We look forward to serving your family.
Build Your Driver-Ed Plan
Students can begin the State-approved 30-hour online course as early as 14 years 6 months (14½). Every package includes that course. Compare the four options below.
400K+
Students Taught
Colorado family-owned since 1999
|
Flexible scheduling. Open 7 days a week. | |||
| Online 30-Hour Course $39.85 Get started → | Course + Permit + Lessons $510 Get started → | + Colorado Drive Test $599 Get started → | + Driver Skills Day $840 Get started → | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | — | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | — | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | — | — | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Ready to Start? → | Enroll Now | Enroll Now | Enroll Now | Enroll Now |
Need a second opinion before enrolling? Call our team at (303) 623-1404 and tell us your teen's age, permit status, and target licensing timeline.
The $39.85 option includes Colorado's most-popular State-approved course. Your family handles the permit test, driving lessons, and drive test separately. Teens licensing before 16½ still need six hours of professional instruction.
The $510 option includes the course, Permit Test (4 Attempts), and three 2-hour driving lessons. The six hours of private lessons meet Colorado's professional instruction requirement for teens licensing before 16½.
The $599 option adds the Colorado drive test to the course, permit test, and six lesson hours. It suits families that want the final road exam included in their original plan rather than purchased separately later.
The $840 option adds Driver Skills Day after licensure. Teens practice skid recovery, emergency braking, hazard awareness, and vehicle control, helping them prepare for situations that are hard to practice on public roads.
Enroll in the 30-hour online course from home.
In every packageWritten knowledge test, with up to 4 attempts.
In $510 & upDMV appointment on or after the 15th birthday.
At the DMVThree 2-hr lessons, required to license before 16½.
In $510 & upPass the Colorado drive test and get licensed.
In $599 & upOne Local Office
Your teen completes all 30 required course hours at home. When they are ready for permit testing, behind-the-wheel lessons, or the Colorado drive test, you'll book a time at our Centennial driving school on East Smoky Hill Road.
Backed by American Driving Academy's statewide network of 16 locations across Colorado.
Online, Done Right
This State-approved course was created and taught by Colorado professionals who understand permit rules, licensing requirements, Colorado roads, and the decisions new drivers face. Students receive local, in-depth driver education, not test prep thrown together in a hurry.
Safe driving takes a community. We are one of only two AAA Approved driving schools in Colorado, we partner with MADD statewide, and we work with area high schools including Smoky Hill High School and Cherokee Trail High School.
More than 10 of the 30 hours feature Colorado instructors teaching on screen, supported by interactive learning, readings, quizzes, practice tests, and 100+ videos. Teens hear and see the reason behind a safer choice, not only the correct answer.
Permit ages, DMV appointments, practice requirements, lessons, and testing rules can be hard to sort out. Our team can explain what your teen needs next in plain language, by phone or at the local office.
Inside the Course
Safe driving depends on four connected steps: identify what is happening, predict what may happen next, decide on the safest response, and execute that decision. The online course develops the first three before formal driving lessons, giving your teen a stronger base for executing those decisions during behind-the-wheel training.
That way of thinking matters in Centennial, where a short trip can move from a neighborhood street through a school zone and onto Arapahoe Road, Smoky Hill Road, I-25, or E-470. Teens learn to scan farther ahead, maintain space, and prepare for changes before they become urgent.
30 Hours, 15 Lessons
The curriculum moves through 15 connected lessons designed for new Colorado drivers. They cover the rules of the road and the safety concepts teens need before driving.
Watch, Don't Just Read
Driving concepts are easier to understand and remember when teens can see them in context. More than 100 videos mix classroom-style teaching from American Driving Academy instructors, hands-on demonstrations recorded around Colorado, and safety content from trusted sources such as CDOT.
Your Instructors
The teaching team comes from education, law enforcement, driving instruction, testing, and parenting.
Behind the Wheel
Each of the $510, $599, and $840 packages includes three 2-hour behind-the-wheel lessons, for six hours of professional instruction. Every session is held in a dual-controlled, state-inspected vehicle with a state-certified instructor.
Lessons are tailored to your teen's current skill level, not a fixed route or one-size-fits-all lesson plan. The first session usually starts with a quick check of vehicle setup, steering, smooth acceleration and braking, turns, lane position, scanning, and intersections. From there, instruction progresses to lane changes, parallel parking, multi-lane roads, complex intersections, freeway entry and exit, and busier areas with pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and heavier traffic.
Parents receive clear feedback on what their teen is doing well and where more supervised practice is needed. For students seeking a license before age 16½, those six hours also meet Colorado's professional driving instruction requirement.
The Final Step
Colorado's State Driver License offices no longer administer the driving skills test. As a state-approved third-party testing center, American Driving Academy conducts more drive tests than any other provider in the state.
Both the $599 and $840 packages include the drive test. Adding it to your package now costs less than purchasing the test on its own later, so the final step is already paid for when your teen is ready to take it.
After passing the test, students can usually upgrade to a driver's license online right away, with no DMV appointment needed, and the state mails the physical card. You can count on our examiners to provide a professional, friendly, and patient testing experience.
After the License
A road test confirms that a student can demonstrate Colorado's required driving skills in normal traffic. It cannot safely reproduce a skid, a sudden obstacle, or the split-second response needed for emergency braking. Those are situations a new driver may face after beginning to drive alone, without an adult beside them.
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, new teen drivers are 50% more likely to crash in their first month of independent driving than after a full year of experience. Driver Skills Day is a 3.5-hour session included in the $840 package, and because it comes after licensing, your teen is still in the program through that window instead of treating the license as the finish line.
In a wide, controlled setting, students feel how a vehicle responds during a skid and practice bringing it to a quick, controlled stop. They also work on reading hazards early, steering around an obstacle, and staying composed when pavement is slick, traffic changes suddenly, or the car behaves differently than expected.
One hands-on session builds the reactions a new driver needs in an emergency:
Driver Skills Day takes place after licensure on scheduled dates in large parking-lot settings around the Denver metro area, not at the Centennial office on East Smoky Hill Road, and remains subject to availability, weather, safety, staffing, equipment, location, and program policies.
Behind Every Package
Completing the course is a milestone, not the end of the relationship. We are here to help your teen become a genuinely safe driver, and that work continues long after the last lesson.
After completing the 30-hour course, the original student may retake or review it free for life, subject to course, platform, technology, and program availability. Your teen can return to a difficult lesson to refresh a concept during supervised practice or before testing. They may also book instructor time to discuss a road situation, safety concern, or skill that needs more explanation.
Every behind-the-wheel lesson vehicle has a dash camera. If you or your teen believe a lesson fell short, tell us within 7 days while footage is still available, and we will review it and follow up with your family. The Lesson Review Promise supports accountability and communication; it does not guarantee a license, passing result, refund, free lesson, schedule change, instructor change, or any other specific outcome.
Some insurance companies offer a young-driver discount for completing approved driver education, professional lessons, or another qualifying safety program. Eligibility, documentation, and savings vary by carrier, so ask your own insurer what applies before counting on a particular discount.
Eligible teens who complete one of our courses may qualify for a free AAA membership when they are dependents of an active AAA Primary Member in Colorado. Full restrictions and expiration details appear later on this page.
Beginning January 1, 2027, Colorado law HB24-1021 will require first-time permit applicants under 21 to complete driver's education before a permit can be issued. Students ages 15 to 17 will need the full 30-hour course, while applicants ages 18 to 20 may take either the 30-hour course or a 4-hour driver awareness program.
Starting the 30-hour course now keeps your family ahead of that change. Your teen will meet the new requirement early and will not have to repeat the course once the law takes effect.
The law does not remove the separate behind-the-wheel requirement. A teen seeking a license before age 16½ will still need six hours of professional driving instruction, just as students do today.
Read Colorado's 2027 Driver's Ed Guide for Parents →Accuracy reviewed by Kevin Hughes, Owner and Colorado driver-education expert. Kevin has created extensive Colorado-specific driver's ed content and provided driver-safety expertise to local news outlets. The online licensing information for Centennial families reflects HB24-1021, Colorado DMV requirements, state guidance, and direct communications with regulators. Last reviewed: August 2026
Straight From Families
Parents want to know that the course explains the material, instructors build confidence, and the drive test is handled professionally. These reviews reflect all three parts of the experience.
Taught me a lot of important things about driving and how dangerous the roads can be, as well as what a good driving experience feels like. I'm so glad I used this company for driver's ed. The teachers are also very descriptive and friendly.
I had a great experience learning with Mr. Ivan. He was very patient, professional, and explained everything clearly, which helped me feel more confident behind the wheel. His guidance made learning less stressful. Highly recommend to anyone learning to drive!
I passed!! I had Curtis as my driving instructor, and he made the experience easy and fun, cracking a few jokes here and there but ultimately explaining how I can improve in a welcoming manner and leaving me feeling confident on the road.
A teen who completes an American Driving Academy course may qualify for a free AAA membership when they are a dependent of an active AAA Primary Member living in Colorado, and the teen membership expires on the Primary member's renewal date. The benefit is not a standalone membership, is not automatic for every student, and remains subject to AAA eligibility rules, enrollment, territory, and program terms. Already an AAA Member? Call 877-244-9790 to add your teen driver.
See AAA Eligibility and Membership DetailsOnline Driver Education Across Centennial
Centennial teens can complete American Driving Academy's State-approved 30-hour online driver's ed course at home, then use our East Smoky Hill Road office for permit testing, behind-the-wheel lessons, and third-party drive testing. The coursework is self-paced, with a local team ready to answer questions.
We serve students in Cherry Creek School District and Littleton Public Schools, plus private, charter, online, and homeschool programs, including families near Arapahoe High School, Eaglecrest, Smoky Hill, Cherokee Trail, Grandview, Southglenn, Willow Creek, Homestead, Piney Creek, and neighborhoods along Dry Creek Road.
Prefer scheduled, face-to-face instruction? Explore our Centennial classroom driver's ed packages with permit testing, driving lessons, and complete-program options.
Yes. The required 30-hour course is State-approved, self-paced, and completed entirely online. Permit testing, behind-the-wheel instruction, the drive test, and Driver Skills Day take place in person. Families can buy the course alone or choose a Centennial package that includes the services their teen still needs.
Students may start at 14 years 6 months (14½), take the written permit test at 14 years 11 months, and receive an instruction permit at age 15 after completing the required DMV process. Passing the written test before the birthday does not allow the permit to be issued early.
The included permit test is offered by appointment at our Centennial office on East Smoky Hill Road. The $510, $599, and $840 packages each provide Permit Test (4 Attempts).
The requirement applies to students who plan to receive a license before age 16½. Limited exceptions may apply under Colorado law, including for a student who lives more than 30 miles from the nearest licensed driving school. The $510, $599, and $840 packages include six hours as three 2-hour sessions with a state-certified instructor in a dual-controlled, state-inspected vehicle. Families should confirm any exception with the DMV before relying on it.
Yes. American Driving Academy is a state-approved third-party testing center and offers Colorado drive tests through its Centennial office, subject to appointment availability. Colorado's State Driver License offices no longer administer the driving skills test. Both the $599 and $840 packages include that exam.
Beginning January 1, 2027, and based on the implementation guidance we have reviewed, new drivers under 21 must complete driver education before receiving a permit. Students ages 15 to 17 need the 30-hour course; applicants ages 18 to 20 need either the 30-hour course or a 4-hour driver awareness program. Check the final CDOT and DMV procedures when it is time to apply.
American Driving Academy does not guarantee permit approval, license approval, insurance discounts, AAA membership, or drive-test results.
If under the age of 16, you need to first complete a driver's ed course. In-person and online options are available.
This 25 multiple-choice test is offered at many of our locations.
After passing the course and the permit test, you will need to go to the DMV to get your driving permit. To make a DMV appointment…
If you are under 16.5 years of age, you are required to take six hours of driving lessons before getting your driver's license. Learn to drive with our state-certified, friendly, and patient instructors.
After holding your permit for one full year, it is time to take your driver's license test.
You need to pass this test to get your permit. It is 25 multiple choice questions. We offer this test at many of our locations.
After passing the permit test, you will need to go to the DMV to get your driving permit. To make a DMV appointment…
If you are new to Colorado or you don’t have driving experience, we offer driving lessons 7 days a week. These are 2-hour lessons with state-certified, patient, and friendly instructors.
You are required to pass the driver's license test in order to get your driver's license. After passing, you may be eligible to get your license that same day without even having to visit the DMV.
