About Driver Education

Driver education promotes and teaches safe driving attitudes, defensive driving skills, and respect for the rules of the road. It prepares students for the Registry of Motor Vehicles license exam; and it strives to prevent or reduce accidents and fatalities that involve young drivers.

Timeline to Getting Your License:

We recommend that you complete the program within one year, from starting the classroom portion to completing all of your driving lessons.

The RMV requires you to complete the program within two years from the date you started. 

Remember: You must have your permit for a minimum of 6 months so there is no reason to rush through lessons! We recommend spacing out your 12 driving hours with us so you finish about a month before that 6 month eligibility. This allows us time to send your certificate to the RMV, allowing you to schedule your road test once you reach that 6 month date.

Age requirements

15 years, 9 months

You can now begin Drivers Education.

(You must be at least 15 years and 9 months old on the first day of class).

16 years

You can now get your learner’s permit. Click here for First Time Driver information from the RMV on where to go and what you need to bring with you.
You can get your permit at either an RMV or AAA* location.  The permit test costs $30 and has 25 questions, of which you must get at least 18 questions correct to pass.

16 1/2 years

You must have your permit for a minimum of 6 months before you can take your road testAND a Driver Education Certificate if under 18.

18 Years

You can schedule your road test, even if you have not taken or completed Drivers Education.

*You must have a AAA membership to get your permit there.

Driver Education with CCACE includes:

Parent Class

Parents must attend the RMV-mandated Parent Class before their child will be allowed to begin driving lessons with an instructor. We will cover your responsibilities, your child’s responsibilities, as we will review our program’s policies. Also, you will hear tips and hints on how to teach a new driver and a review of laws that have changed in the last 10-20 years.

Parents/guardians are responsible for an additional 40+ hours of on-the-road practice, as mandated by the RMV.

Classroom Instruction

  • You do need to be at least 15 years and 9 months of age on the first day of the class.
  • You do not need to have your permit to start the classroom instruction.

The classroom portion is broken up into 15 2-hour modules for 30 total hours of instruction, as mandated by the RMV.

The RMV requires you to complete all 15 modules before completing drivers ed.
If you miss a module, you must make up that specific module at a time when it is offered again. 

You must attend at least the first classroom session, have a learner’s permit and a parent/guardian must attend the parent class before you are eligible to begin driving lessons.
The RMV requires a minimum grade of 80 on the final exam to pass the course.

We recommend you download the RMV’s Driver Manual or purchase a copy. The manual is available at the RMV locations ($5) or in the Community Education office ($4).

Driving Lessons

Once you get your permit, contact Rebecca or Jill with your permit number and the issue date so we can activate your Schedule2Drive account.

You will log in to Schedule2Drive with your permit number and date of birth.

We recommend that you have no more than 2 pending appointments scheduled at a time. Lessons are every 3rd day at most, so that you and a parent or other adult can practice the skills covered in the lessons.
The first 6 lessons should consist of 1 hour of driving and 1 hour of observation. The remaining 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction can be arranged in 1- or 2-hour sessions.

Remember: You must have your permit for a minimum of 6 months so there is no reason to rush through lessons! We recommend spacing out your 12 driving hours with us so you finish about a month before that 6 month eligibility.

Road Tests

Once you complete all of your requirements, we will send your certificate in to the RMV. About 7-10 days after that, you can schedule a road test with the RMV for your JOL license.

**The RMV does not allow you to schedule your road test until you have had your permit for 6 months to the day.**

Once you have completed driver education, you may opt to schedule an optional practice road test with us. These are one hour in length and a parent is welcome to join you and hear the feedback from our instructors. The fee for this is $40 on a weekday or $55 on a weekend.

Fees charged by the RMV:
  • Road test fee: $35
  • License fee: $50

CCACE Sponsorship

If you want us to sponsor your test (Leominster, Watertown, or Wilmington locations) with a school car, we can do so for a fee of $125*.

Road tests are scheduled weekdays between 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. During the school year, please schedule your test between 9:00 am – 1:00 pm if you would like us to sponsor you. We plan for two hours for each road test, including travel to the RMV, the test, and a return to CCHS. After you book your road test, contact Rebecca or Jill immediately with the date, time and location so that we can reserve a car and schedule a teacher-sponsor for you.

*We may be able to take you to another location for an additional fee. Unless you are comfortable with city driving, we do not reccomend scheduling your test in Lowell.