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.
American Driving Academy created Colorado's #1 online driving course for new drivers in Colorado. Westminster teens complete the state-approved, self-paced 30-hour program at home. The online course is just the start. Family-owned since 1999, we strive for the best safety record in the country by going beyond state and industry standards. We prepare teens for safe, confident driving and support 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 may begin the State-approved 30-hour online course at 14 years 6 months (14½). Every package includes that course. Compare the four options below.
400K+
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Colorado family-owned since 1999
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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 → | |
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| Ready to Start? → | Enroll Now | Enroll Now | Enroll Now | Enroll Now |
Need help choosing? Call us at (303) 623-1404 and share your teen's age, permit status, and target licensing date.
The $39.85 option includes only the State-approved course, so your family arranges the permit test, driving lessons, and drive test separately. Teens licensing before 16½ still need six hours of driving lessons.
The $510 option combines the course, Permit Test, and three 2-hour driving lessons. The six hours meet Colorado's professional instruction requirement for teens licensing before age 16½.
The $599 option includes the course, permit test, six lesson hours, and Colorado drive test. It works for families that want the final road exam included from the start instead of purchasing it separately later.
The $840 option includes Driver Skills Day after licensure. Teens practice skid recovery, emergency braking, hazard awareness, and vehicle control, building skills that are difficult 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 & upTwo Local Offices
Your teen completes all 30 required course hours at home. Permit testing, behind-the-wheel lessons, and the Colorado drive test are available at both local offices, so families have two nearby options for each in-person appointment.
Both offices are backed by American Driving Academy's statewide network of 16 locations across Colorado.
Online, Done Right
This State-approved course is taught by the Colorado professionals who created it and 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.
Safe driving takes a community. We are one of only two AAA Approved driving schools in Colorado, we partner with MADD statewide, and our State-approved course qualifies for the 0.25 school credits Adams 12 Five Star Schools award for completing driver's ed.
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 learn the reasoning behind safer decisions.
Permit ages, DMV appointments, practice requirements, lessons, and testing rules can be difficult to sort out. Our team can explain what your teen needs next in plain language, by phone or at either Westminster office.
Inside the Course
Good driving starts with noticing more than the car directly ahead. The course teaches teens to identify the full situation, predict how it may change, and decide on a safe response before they execute it behind the wheel, so they learn to protect space, manage speed, and avoid rushed reactions when traffic shifts.
A short local drive can go from quiet neighborhood streets and school zones onto busy Federal Boulevard or US 36 in minutes. As those roads get busier, teens learn to adjust their speed, keep a safe following distance, and stay focused.
30 Hours, 15 Lessons
The 15 connected lessons each serve a clear purpose for new drivers, covering the rules of the road and the safety concepts teens should understand before getting behind the wheel.
Watch, Don't Just Read
Concepts are easier to grasp and remember when teens can watch them play out on the road. More than 100 videos combine classroom-style instruction from American Driving Academy instructors, on-location demonstrations around the state, and safety content from trusted sources such as CDOT.
Your Instructors
Our teaching team brings practical experience from education, law enforcement, driving instruction, and testing.
Behind the Wheel
The $510, $599, and $840 packages each provide three private 2-hour lessons, giving your teen six hours of professional instruction. A state-certified instructor teaches every session in a dual-controlled, state-inspected vehicle.
Lessons start with the skills your teen can demonstrate, not a fixed route or one-size-fits-all plan. The first session often confirms vehicle setup, smooth acceleration and braking, steering, turns, lane position, scanning, and intersection decisions. As soon as the student is ready, instruction moves into lane changes, parallel parking, multi-lane roads, freeway entry and exit, and downtown driving around pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and heavier traffic.
After each lesson, parents hear what went well and what their teen should practice next. That feedback gives families a clear focus for supervised driving between sessions. For students licensing before age 16½, the six included hours also meet Colorado's professional driving instruction requirement.
The Final Step
Colorado State Driver License offices do not administer the driving skills test. As a state-approved third-party testing center, American Driving Academy offers Colorado drive tests seven days a week, with examiners evaluating vehicle control, scanning, signaling, turns, right-of-way decisions, and general traffic judgment.
The exam is included in the $599 and $840 packages, and bundling it costs less than purchasing the test separately later. Your teen may test at Central Westminster or North Westminster after meeting the state's age, permit-holding, supervised-practice, and training requirements.
After a passing result, eligible students can usually upgrade their permit to a license online without another DMV appointment, and the state mails the physical license card to the address on file.
After the License
A road test measures whether a student can demonstrate the skills required for a license. It cannot recreate a skid, a sudden hazard, or the split-second decision involved in an emergency stop. 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, post-license session included in the $840 package, so your teen keeps learning through the riskiest first months instead of treating the license as the finish line. In a controlled setting, teens practice emergency braking, skid recovery, hazard response, and vehicle control before those reactions are ever tested in traffic.
For local teens, the value is feeling how a vehicle responds before an unexpected moment happens on the road. Students practice staying composed when traction changes, traffic stops suddenly, or an obstacle appears, then connect those reactions with tire condition and basic vehicle checks.
One focused, hands-on session drills the reactions and checks new drivers may need:
Driver Skills Day takes place after licensure on scheduled dates in large parking-lot environments around the Denver metro area, not at the North Westminster or Central Westminster offices, and remains subject to availability, weather, safety, staffing, equipment, location, and program policies.
Behind Every Package
Completing the course does not close the door on help from American Driving Academy. Your family keeps access to review options, lesson accountability, and benefits that can matter as a new driver gains experience.
The original student may retake or review the 30-hour course free for life, subject to course, technology, platform, and program availability. Your teen can revisit a difficult lesson before the permit or drive test or refresh material during supervised practice. They may also book time with an instructor to discuss a road situation, safety question, 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 provide a discount when a young driver completes an approved course, professional instruction, or another recognized safety program. Eligibility, documentation, and savings differ by insurance company, so families should ask their own carrier what applies before assuming a specific discount.
Eligible teens who complete one of our courses may receive a free AAA membership if 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, Colorado's HB24-1021 will require new drivers under 21 to complete qualifying driver education before receiving an instruction permit. Students ages 15 through 17 will need the 30-hour course. Applicants ages 18 through 20 may complete either the 30-hour course or a 4-hour driver awareness program.
American Driving Academy's State-approved online course already meets the 30-hour education format described in the guidance we have reviewed.
The law does not remove Colorado's professional-training requirement for early licensing. A student seeking a license before age 16½ will still need six hours of behind-the-wheel instruction with an approved driving school.
Read Colorado's 2027 Driver's Ed Guide for Parents →Reviewed for accuracy by Kevin Hughes, Owner. Kevin is a Colorado driver-education expert who has created extensive Colorado-specific driver's ed content and provided driver-safety expertise to local news outlets. Information for Westminster online students was reviewed against HB24-1021, Colorado DMV requirements, published state standards, and guidance received directly from regulators. Last reviewed: August 2026
Straight From Families
A strong package should teach useful judgment, build safer habits behind the wheel, and finish with a professional drive-test experience. These reviews follow that journey from course to lessons to test.
My son had a great experience. The instructor was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Joshua covered everything students need to know before getting behind the wheel. From start to finish, it was an excellent experience. My son completed the driving course feeling confident and ready to put the theory into practice.
They did a very thorough job of teaching my son. I am very pleased with the instruction and driving lessons he received, and very happy knowing he is a good driver out on the streets. They were very accommodating when we needed to reschedule appointments, and made changes right on the website.
I had an excellent experience with American Driving Academy. My instructor, Curtis, was patient, professional, and made me feel comfortable throughout the entire driving test. His instructions were always clear and calm, which helped me stay confident. The whole process was well organized, efficient, and stress-free.
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 Westminster
Westminster teens can complete American Driving Academy's State-approved 30-hour online driver's ed course at home, then use two local offices for permit testing, behind-the-wheel lessons, and third-party drive testing. Families can choose Central Westminster on West 84th Avenue or North Westminster on Pecos Street.
We serve students in Adams 12 Five Star Schools and Jeffco Public Schools, plus private, charter, online, and homeschool programs, including families near Westminster High School, Hidden Lake Secondary, Mountain Range, Standley Lake High School, The Academy, Historic Westminster, and the Standley Lake area.
Prefer scheduled, face-to-face instruction? Explore our Westminster classroom driver's ed packages with permit testing, driving lessons, and complete-program options.
Yes. The State-approved 30-hour course is self-paced and completed entirely online. Permit testing, behind-the-wheel instruction, the Colorado drive test, and Driver Skills Day are in-person services. You may purchase the course alone or select a package that includes the additional services your teen 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 a DMV appointment once they turn 15. Passing the written test before the birthday does not allow Colorado to issue the permit early.
Both Central Westminster and North Westminster offer permit testing and Colorado drive tests by appointment, and the $510, $599, and $840 packages include Permit Test (4 Attempts). The drive test is included in the $599 and $840 packages and is available seven days a week, subject to appointment availability.
Colorado generally requires six hours from an approved driving school when a student plans to receive a license before age 16½. A limited distance-based exception may apply to a student living more than 30 miles from the nearest licensed school. Our $510, $599, and $840 packages include three 2-hour lessons in a dual-controlled, state-inspected vehicle with a state-certified instructor.
Adams 12 Five Star Schools may award 0.25 school credits for completing a State-approved driver's ed program, and both our online and in-person courses qualify. We provide the completion documentation students need to submit, and the student's school confirms and awards the credit. Adams 12 families can also save on driver's ed through our Adams 12 driver's ed page.
Beginning January 1, 2027, new drivers under 21 must complete qualifying education before receiving a permit. Ages 15 through 17 need the 30-hour course; ages 18 through 20 may complete either that course or a 4-hour driver awareness program. Check final CDOT and DMV procedures when applying.
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.
