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.
Colorado's #1 online driving course was created by American Driving Academy for new Colorado drivers. Fort Collins teens complete the state-approved, self-paced 30-hour program at home. The course is only the start. Family-owned since 1999, we work toward the best safety record in the country by exceeding state and industry standards. We prepare teens to drive safely and confidently while supporting your family with permit testing, driving lessons, and the Colorado drive test on the path to a license. We look forward to serving your family.
Choose Your Package
Students may begin the State-approved 30-hour course as early as 14 years 6 months (14½). All three packages start there. Compare what each one adds 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 → | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | ✓ | ✓ | |
| — | — | ✓ | |
| — | — | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Ready to Start? → | Enroll Now | Enroll Now | Enroll Now |
Not sure which option fits? Call (303) 623-1404 with your teen's age, permit status, and target licensing date.
The $39.85 option includes the State-approved course. Your family arranges the permit test, driving lessons, and drive test separately. Teens licensing before 16½ still need six hours with a driving school.
The $510 option pairs the course and Permit Test with three 2-hour driving lessons. Those six hours meet Colorado's instruction requirement for teens licensing before 16½ while also building safe driving skills.
The $599 option includes the course, permit test, and six hours of lessons, plus the Colorado drive test. It fits families who prefer to include the road exam from the start instead of buying it separately later on.
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 $599Local Office
Your teen completes the online 30-hour course at home, then visits our South College Avenue office, next to the DMV, for permit testing, driving lessons, and the Colorado drive test.
American Driving Academy operates 16 locations across the state.
Built for New Drivers
Our proven online course is built around licensing requirements, roads across the state, and the judgment new drivers need. Students receive local, in-depth driver education thoughtfully created by Colorado professionals, not a national test prep course built around memorization.
We are one of only two AAA Approved driving schools in Colorado and are recognized by MADD as a driver education partner. These outside relationships strengthen the course standards and impaired-driving education families expect from a safety-focused school.
More than 10 of the 30 hours put Colorado instructors on screen to explain how a safe driver reads a situation and chooses a response. Their teaching is reinforced by interactive learning, readings, quizzes, practice tests, and 100+ videos.
Permit timing, supervised practice, lesson requirements, and testing rules can raise questions at different ages. Parents can call us or stop by South College Avenue, and we'll explain what their teen needs next.
Inside the Course
Safe driving requires four connected actions: identify what is happening, predict how the situation may change, decide on the safest response, and execute that choice. The online course strengthens the first three so teens arrive at behind-the-wheel lessons ready to practice the full sequence.
Fort Collins drivers may leave a neighborhood or school zone and reach South College Avenue, Harmony Road, or an I-25 entrance within minutes. Teens learn to scan beyond the vehicle ahead, leave space, and account for cyclists, pedestrians, and buses. That judgment matters wherever they drive.
30 Hours, 15 Lessons
The curriculum moves through 15 connected lessons, all built for new Colorado drivers. They cover road rules and the safety concepts teens need before behind-the-wheel practice begins.
See It in Action
A concept becomes easier to remember when a teen can watch it applied. More than 100 videos blend classroom-style teaching from American Driving Academy instructors, demonstrations around Colorado, and safety content from trusted sources such as CDOT.
Your Instructors
Our instructors come from different backgrounds, but they share one thing: years spent helping teens learn to drive.
Behind the Wheel
The $510 and $599 packages include three private 2-hour lessons, providing six hours of professional instruction. Every session takes place in a dual-controlled, state-inspected vehicle with a friendly and patient state-certified instructor.
The first lesson starts with the fundamentals, including vehicle setup, steering, braking, turns, lane position, scanning, and intersections. Instruction then moves into lane changes, parallel parking, multi-lane roads, freeway entry and exit, and downtown driving around pedestrians, cyclists, and buses.
Parents receive feedback after every session, including strengths and the skills that need more supervised practice. For teens licensing before 16½, the included six hours also meet Colorado's professional instruction requirement.
Road Exam
Colorado State Driver License offices do not administer the drive test. American Driving Academy is a state-approved third-party testing center offering exams seven days a week, with appointments handled by state-certified examiners at 2900 S College Avenue.
The $599 package includes the course, permit test, and six hours of lessons, plus the Colorado drive test. It is designed for families that want the road exam included from the start instead of adding it later.
After passing the test, eligible students can usually upgrade their permit to a license online instead of scheduling another DMV appointment. The state mails the physical card to you.
Behind Every Package
The help available to your family does not stop when the final online lesson is finished. Students can review course material again, parents can request a lesson review, and eligible graduates may qualify for insurance or AAA benefits.
Your teen may retake or review the 30-hour course free for life, subject to course, technology, platform, and program availability. They can return to the course before permit testing, during the year of supervised practice, and even after they start driving on their own. Students may also book time with an instructor to ask about a road situation or skill.
Every vehicle used for behind-the-wheel lessons has a dash camera. Tell us within 7 days of a concern, while the footage is still available, and we will review it and follow up. The Lesson Review Promise reflects our commitment to accountability; it does not guarantee a license, test result, refund, free lesson, instructor change, schedule change, or any other outcome.
Some insurers offer driver discounts after an approved course, professional lessons, or another recognized safety program. Requirements and savings vary by carrier and policy, so families should ask their insurer what is needed before expecting a discount.
Eligible teens who complete one of our courses may receive a free AAA membership when they are dependents of an active AAA Primary Member in Colorado. Full restrictions appear later on this page and on our AAA information page.
Beginning January 1, 2027, HB24-1021 changes what new drivers must complete before receiving a first permit. Applicants ages 15 through 17 will need a 30-hour driver education course, while ages 18 through 20 may complete either that course or a 4-hour driver awareness program.
The State-approved online course offered here already meets the new 30-hour requirement.
Professional training is a separate requirement. Students who plan to receive a license before 16½ will still need six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction from an approved driving school.
Read Colorado's 2027 Driver's Ed Guide for Parents →Reviewed for accuracy 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 Fort Collins online licensing information reflects HB24-1021, Colorado DMV requirements, state-published guidance, and details confirmed directly with regulators. Last reviewed: August 2026
Straight From Families
Families describe quick scheduling, calm instruction that helps nervous drivers settle in, and a supportive experience they would choose again for another child.
The American Driving Academy was awesome! They got me scheduled within 1 day! My instructor was very nice and explained everything to me very clearly. I would definitely recommend them to my friends and family!
Dolores was amazing. She made me feel safe and comfortable, gave clear instructions, and made my experience overall amazing! Thank you Dolores for going above and beyond so I could be safe, comfortable, and do my best!
We had a great experience with American Driving Academy. My grandson was very nervous, but his instructor was super patient. She had grace, empathy, and compassion for this young man. He passed and achieved this important milestone in his life. Very grateful!
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 DetailsLocal Online Driver Education
American Driving Academy helps teens complete the State-approved 30-hour course from home, then use our South College Avenue office for permit testing, behind-the-wheel lessons, and third-party drive testing. The location serves Fort Collins and the surrounding region.
We serve students from Poudre School District, private, charter, online, and homeschool programs, including Fort Collins High, Fossil Ridge, Poudre, Rocky Mountain, Centennial, and Poudre Community Academy. Families also come from the nearby communities of Timnath, Wellington, Laporte, Windsor, and Severance.
Prefer scheduled, face-to-face instruction? Explore our Fort Collins classroom driver's ed packages with permit testing and optional driving lessons.
Yes. The State-approved 30-hour course is self-paced and completed at home. Permit testing, driving lessons, and the Colorado drive test are in-person services at our South College Avenue office, next to the DMV, when included in the package.
Students may currently begin at 14 years 6 months (14½). They can take the written permit test at 14 years 11 months and receive an instruction permit at a DMV appointment once they turn 15.
The $510 and $599 packages include Permit Test (4 Attempts) by appointment at 2900 S College Avenue, Suite 3G. The $39.85 Online 30-Hour Course does not include permit testing.
The $510 and $599 packages include three private 2-hour lessons. Those six hours generally meet Colorado's professional instruction requirement for students who plan to receive a driver license before age 16½.
Yes. American Driving Academy is a state-approved third-party testing center, and we offer drive tests seven days a week. Appointments are held at 2900 S College Avenue, Suite 3G, and the exam is included in the $599 package.
Beginning January 1, 2027, applicants ages 15 through 17 will need a 30-hour driver education course before receiving a first permit. Ages 18 through 20 may complete that course or a 4-hour driver awareness program. The course offered here already meets the 30-hour requirement. Check final CDOT and DMV procedures when applying.
Select the package that covers what your teen still needs, complete the course at home, and use our South College Avenue office for testing and professional instruction when the time is right.
Call Us: (303) 623-1404American 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.
