Homeschooling Drivers Education

To get started on teaching your teen drivers education at home you must follow each step according to the DMV site.

 

STEP 1

Have your teen obtain a Drivers Learning Permit. Your teen can study for the learners permit test and complete practice exams before heading to your local DMV to take the written Learners Permit Test. Below is a list of free DMV online permit practice tests websites for Virginia:

ePermit Test

DMV Practice Test

DMV Office.net Road Signs Test

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STEP 2

Once your teen has obtained their Learners Permit,  parents can choose one of the options below to complete the drivers education course. 

Go through the public school (through part-time enrollment, after school programs, summer programs or adult education center)

Go through a private school (through part-time enrollment or after school program)

Go through a drivers training school

Go through an approved online driver training school

 

To register your teen for one of the approved online Drivers-Ed courses see list below:

American Safety Council 

EZ Drive Virginia 

I Drive Safely 

National Driver Training Institute 

VADETS Online Driver Education Course

 

When your teen completes the classroom portion, get a printed copy of the certificates to send in with your Home-Schooled In-Car Driver Education Parental Authorization Application. 

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Important: students in Planning District 8 (counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park): Must complete the 90-Minute Parent Teen Course in-person, and a parent or guardian is required to attend. This can be done through the school system.

Here is a list of dates provided by Prince William County Schools  Parents and teens can show up to any of the dates listed in link above at any hosting school. When you arrive you check in, pick up a card that your teen will need to fill out with their information. Make sure to keep this card, this is your proof for completing the 90 Minute Parent-Teen Course. 

Here is the date for Manassas City Public School

For those in Manassas Park Public School jurisdiction, reach out to them via phone or email to get information. 

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Parent and teens may also choose to take the 90 Minute Parent Teen Course through a private school or through Fairfax County Public School Adult and Community Education

 

For more information about teaching your homeschool teen behind-the-wheel, refer to the Home-schooled In-Car Driver Education Information Sheet. This form contains information on parent/guardian qualifications, instructions, student requirements and issuance of the driver’s license

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Parents and homeschool teens can choose one of the options below to complete the Behind-The-Wheel Portion:

Go through the public school (through part-time enrollment, after school programs, summer programs or adult education center)

Go through a private school (through part-time enrollment or after school program)

Go through a drivers training school

Parent Taught Instruction 

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To begin the Behind-The-Wheel portion pick up the parent teen driving guide from your local DMV.  Click here for an online copy you can print from home.  All parents must complete 45 hours of driving (15 of those hours must be at night) with their teen. Parents who choose to go through a a public school, private school or driving training school for the behind-the-wheel instruction for their teen are still expected to do 45 hours (15 hours at night) of driving with their teen. The driving school you go through will want proof that your kid has completed the 90 min Parent Teen Course before taking your teen on the road.

 

For an easy way to keep track of your teens driving hours on the go, download the RoadReady app to your mobile device. 

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The only course approved for behind-the-wheel instruction by the parents is Module 11 – Behind-the-Wheel and In-Car Observation.

 

To apply for authorization to teach the behind-the-wheel portion, the parent must complete the following steps:

Complete a Home-schooled In-Car Driver Education Parental Authorization Application;

Attach a copy of the notification to the school division superintendent/designee of your intent to home-school the child (the name of the school division and/or the superintendent/designee must appear on the notification), OR A letter from the school division superintendent/designee acknowledging that the child is home-schooled;

Attach the original proof of completion of the classroom portion of the driver education program;

Mail the above information to:

Department of Motor Vehicles
Commercial Licensing Work Center
P. O. Box 27412
Richmond, VA 23269-0001

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STEP 3

Once your teen has completed the drivers ed course, 90-min parent teen course, the behind-the-wheel instruction and hours required, and have held their learners permit for at least 9 months, they may go to your local DMV customer service office to take the road skills test.

 

If you chose to go through the public school, private school or driving training school, they will do the road skills test and award your teen with a temporary drivers license and there is no need to go to the DMV to take a Road Test.

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For a driver's license, you must be

A resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia and

At least 16 years and 3 months of age.

If you are under age 18, you must

Complete a state-approved driver education program and

Provide written consent from one of your parents or your legal guardian, unless you are married or emancipated.

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If you chose to file to teach your homeschool teen to drive through DMV, then you will need to bring the following additional paperwork to DMV in order for your teen to take their Road Test:

The completed 45 Hour Parent/Teen Driver Guide, Make sure that you logged the hours on the back pages and have signed off on everything. 

Official letter from DMV authorizing you to do Home-Schooled In Car Driver Education

Complete and bring in the In Car Maneuvers Observation Record