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.
Fort Collins teens take Colorado's highest-rated 30-hour classroom course with American Driving Academy. The five-day class fulfills teen permit requirements, with our expert-written workbook and videos filmed on Colorado roads. The class is only the start. Family-owned since 1999, we work toward the country's best safety record by exceeding state and industry standards. We prepare teens for safe, confident driving and guide your family through permit testing, lessons, the Colorado drive test, and licensing.
Three Ways Forward
Every package includes the five-day, 30-hour class and permit test. Teens may begin as early as 14 years and 6 months. Compare three options for private lessons and the drive test.
400K+
Students Taught
Colorado family-owned since 1999
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In-person classes. Open 7 days a week. | ||
| Permit Ready $195 Enroll now → | Road Ready $535 Enroll now → | License Ready $625 Enroll now → | |
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| Ready to Enroll? → | Enroll Now | Enroll Now | Enroll Now |
Not sure which package fits? Call our Fort Collins team at (303) 623-1404, and we will help you choose.
Your teen needs the class and permit test now, and you would rather pay for lessons and the drive test closer to the time your teen uses them.
Your teen wants a license before 16½ and needs the six professional hours Colorado generally requires, with three private lessons included.
You want the Colorado drive test included now, because it costs less in License Ready than purchasing that same test on its own later.
Complete the live 30-hour class across five days.
In every packagePass the written permit test on Colorado road rules.
In every packageVisit the DMV on the 15th birthday or later.
At the DMVTake three private 2-hour lessons that permit year.
In Road Ready & upPass the Colorado drive test and apply for a license.
In License ReadySouth College Access
The South College Avenue office brings every in-person step together for Fort Collins families. Students attend class, take the permit test, complete private lessons, and take the Colorado drive test at one location next to the DMV.
The Fort Collins office is backed by American Driving Academy's statewide network of 16 Colorado locations.
Local Class, Statewide Depth
Colorado sets the curriculum requirements. We go further with a workbook we wrote specifically for Colorado drivers, professional videos filmed on Colorado roads, discussion, games, and classroom exercises.
American Driving Academy is AAA Approved and partners statewide with MADD Colorado and Bachus & Schanker. Your teen hears those same road-safety and impaired-driving lessons in the Fort Collins classroom.
Permit timing, supervised hours, lesson rules, and test eligibility can be hard to organize. Call 7 days a week or visit the South College office, and our team will explain what your teen has finished and what comes next.
Support continues after the five-day class. Your teen can return for course review, parents can raise concerns while lesson footage may exist, and progress notes show what to practice throughout the permit year.
Think Before the Turn
Traffic rules are the starting point, but a new driver also needs to explain why a choice is safe and how it changes when the road gets crowded, visibility drops, or another driver behaves unpredictably. In class, the instructor can pause the situation, question the first answer, and help students reason through a better one before practice begins.
The Colorado workbook, quizzes, and traffic observation all point at the same thing: deciding earlier. Following distance that feels safe downtown is not enough at speed on South College Avenue. Merging onto the freeway forces the choice before the ramp ends. On a mountain grade, braking late is what gets a car in trouble. Students make those calls in the room first, where a wrong answer costs nothing.
What the Course Covers
The 15 topics build from core responsibilities to road judgment, with time for questions, practice, and review.
Who Is at the Front
We hire people whose earlier careers demanded preparation, patience, sound judgment, and clear teaching.
Behind the Wheel
Road Ready and License Ready include three private 2-hour lessons. Your teen gets one-on-one coaching in a dual-control, state-inspected car with a patient, state-certified instructor. Fort Collins lessons run 7 days a week.
Your teen is never pushed past their current skill level. Early work may cover vehicle setup, steering, braking, turns, scanning, and intersections. As control improves, the instructor can introduce lane changes, parallel parking, freeway entry and exit, downtown Fort Collins traffic, and mountain driving with grades, curves, and changing weather.
After every lesson, parents hear what their teen did well and what to work on next, helping direct practice at home. For a teen licensing before age 16½, the six hours meet Colorado's professional instruction requirement. The Lesson Review Promise and progress tracker apply to every included lesson.
The Final Step
Colorado Driver License offices do not administer the drive test. American Driving Academy is a State-approved third-party testing center and Colorado's largest drive-testing provider, giving more than 35,000 tests across Colorado each year.
License Ready ($625) includes the exam. Fort Collins drive tests run 7 days a week. Your teen may schedule after meeting Colorado's age, permit-holding, practice, and training rules. Permit Ready and Road Ready families may purchase the test separately.
Examiners give calm directions and explain the result afterward. Eligible students can usually upgrade the permit online after passing, and Colorado mails the physical license.
Behind Every Package
Finishing the class does not end the support your family gets. Your teen can retake the course to review it, parents can request a lesson review, and eligible graduates may qualify for insurance or AAA benefits.
Completing the 30-hour course does not end your teen's access to it. They may return to the full class at no additional charge when a refresher would help. Families may also schedule instructor time to discuss a new vehicle, a difficult intersection, a safety concern, or the next practice goal. Availability and program terms apply.
Dash cameras operate in every lesson vehicle. Contact us within 7 days if something concerns you while footage may still exist. We will examine the experience and follow up. The promise does not guarantee a license, test result, refund, free lesson, instructor or schedule change, or another outcome.
Driver education, professional lessons, or another approved safety program may lower a teen's premium with some insurers. Eligibility, documents, and savings vary by company and policy, so confirm the requirements before counting on a discount.
An eligible teen graduate may qualify for a free AAA membership when dependent on an active AAA Primary Member living in Colorado. Eligibility, enrollment, territory, expiration, renewal, and other AAA program rules apply.
Beginning January 1, 2027, HB24-1021 requires driver education before Colorado issues a first permit. Applicants ages 15 through 17 must complete a 30-hour course. Applicants ages 18 through 20 may complete that course or a 4-hour driver awareness program.
The five-day Fort Collins classroom course meets the 30-hour requirement, so students will not need another course under the new law.
The permit rule remains separate from behind-the-wheel training. A teen seeking a license before age 16½ must complete six hours of professional instruction at an approved driving school.
Read Colorado's 2027 Driver's Ed Guide for Parents →Accuracy reviewed 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. Fort Collins classroom guidance is grounded in Colorado's driver-education standards, DMV licensing requirements, HB24-1021, and direct communication with state regulators. Last reviewed: August 2026
In Their Own Words
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.
I booked two behind-the-wheel lessons with Brandon and one with Elliot, and both were patient and professional. Brandon helped me stay calm, while Elliot taught me to drive confidently on the freeway.
Booking was easy, but I had felt uncomfortable and failed at another school, so I switched. Andy was excellent, made me comfortable during the drive test, and helped the whole experience feel much smoother.
An eligible teen who completes an American Driving Academy course may qualify for a free AAA membership when dependent on an active AAA Primary Member living in Colorado. The teen membership expires on the Primary Member's renewal date. This is not an automatic or standalone membership. AAA eligibility, enrollment, territory, and program terms control. Families should confirm the current requirements before relying on the benefit. Existing AAA Members may call 877-244-9790 to add an eligible teen driver.
See AAA Eligibility and Membership DetailsTwo Ways to Learn
Both paths fulfill the same Colorado requirements for a permit and license.
Your teen learns best with a live instructor, a set five-day schedule, and other students discussing the same Colorado situations in real time.
All 30 hours happen face to face at the South College office, where questions can be answered on the spot.
Your teen prefers self-paced work, needs to fit driver's ed around school, activities, or a job, and is comfortable managing progress from home.
Fort Collins online packages stay Colorado-specific and still include permit testing, lessons, and the drive test.
Fort Collins classroom packages cost $195 for Permit Ready, $535 for Road Ready, and $625 for License Ready. Every package includes the five-day, 30-hour class and permit test. Road Ready covers six hours of lessons, while License Ready also covers the Colorado drive test and $25 sibling discount.
Students may begin the 30-hour classroom course at 14 years and 6 months. Starting around 14½ gives a teen time to finish class, take the permit test at 14 years and 11 months, and receive the permit on the 15th birthday or later.
A minor can first become eligible at age 16. The student generally must hold the permit for 12 full months, record 50 supervised hours including 10 at night, complete any required professional instruction, pass the drive test, and satisfy current DMV rules.
Classes are scheduled on weekends during the school year and in fall, winter, spring, and summer breaks. Each class spans five days and usually meets from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. Current Fort Collins dates appear when a package is selected.
Six hours through an approved driving school are generally required when a teen plans to receive a license before age 16½. A student licensing later may not need them, although professional lessons can still improve observation, control, confidence, and readiness.
Lessons are tailored to your teen's current skill. As control improves, instruction may include downtown Fort Collins traffic, freeway entry, and mountain driving with grades, curves, and changing conditions. No single route or skill sequence is promised for every appointment.
ADA Safety Advantage™ belongs only to the original student and cannot be transferred. Complimentary re-enrollment applies to the American Driving Academy 30-hour driver education course and may be completed online or in person, subject to course availability, platform availability, and enrollment policies. It does not include permit tests, behind-the-wheel lessons, drive tests, private tutoring, state fees, third-party charges, or other paid services. Instructor support must be scheduled and remains subject to availability.
The benefit carries no cash value. It remains available during the original student's lifetime while American Driving Academy continues operating and continues to offer the applicable course or support service.
The Lesson Review Promise applies to behind-the-wheel lessons provided by American Driving Academy. When a student or parent is dissatisfied, American Driving Academy will examine the lesson experience and follow up with the student or parent. The promise does not guarantee a license, drive-test result, test eligibility, skill level, refund, free lesson, instructor change, schedule change, or another specific outcome. Documentation, footage availability, scheduling, and program policies govern the review and follow-up.
Colorado permit and license requirements vary with the student's age, permit date, training history, supervised hours, documents, and current DMV rules. A student may begin the 30-hour driver education course at 14 years and 6 months and may take the permit test with American Driving Academy at 14 years and 11 months. The permit may be issued at age 15 after course completion, a passing permit-test result, and the required DMV process.
A Colorado minor must hold the permit for 12 full months before applying for a license. A student seeking a license before age 16½ generally needs six hours of behind-the-wheel training through an approved driving school. Exceptions may apply. Families must confirm current Colorado DMV requirements before permit issuance, drive testing, or licensing.
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.
