Acton-Boxborough Community Education

They must be at least 15 years, and 9 months old. Note: They must be 16 years old before they can obtain the Learner's Permit.
 

The full Driver Education package includes the following:
• 30 hours of classroom instruction
• 12 hours of in-car driving instruction
• RMV mandated 2-hour parent meeting
• 6 hours of in-car driving observation

Register online or call our office at 978-266-2525.

The full list of class topics can be found here. 

Missing class # 1 is not an option. In that class, we review all aspects of how the program works and students MUST be present.
 

The State of Massachusetts requires that students attend ALL class sessions. Students who miss any other class (#2-15) must make up the actual class missed, as each one covers distinct curriculum (i.e. if you miss Class #5, you must make up Class #5). 
 

Contact Rich Dushanek to find out when the class needed will next be offered. If a student misses 3 or more classes, Community Education will charge a $100 fee. 

Yes, if they missed any of classes #2-5. Those cover the rules of the road and must be completed before a student can have an in-car driving lesson. 

No, it is not needed to begin the classroom instruction. However, students must have their Learner's Permit in hand for all in-car driving lessons. If a student does not bring their permit to the in-car driving lesson, the lesson will be canceled and the student will be charged the $60 lesson fee.

You must go online to the RMV website in order to schedule an in-person appointment to obtain a permit. Your child can study for the permit test by reading the manual online at the RMV website.  Note: When you pay for the Learner's Permit, you may also want to pre-pay for the License and Road Test. Doing so will save time in the  Road Test/License process.

Yes! The RMV requires at least one parent or guardian to attend a Parent Meeting before a student can begin their in-car driving lessons. Ideally, this will be the parent/guardian who will be doing the majority of driving with the child, but both parents are encouraged to attend. This class certificate is good for five years.

Yes! There is a $35 registration for parents whose children are not enrolled in our program.

All members of our Driver Education staff are fully certified, having completed RMV requirements to become Professional Driving School Instructors.  Our instructors have an average of 10 years of experience.

Once a parent/guardian has attended the RMV-mandated Parent Meeting and the student has attended the fifth class, they will be given a sign-in and password for the In-Car Lesson Scheduling site. We strongly encourage students to schedule their own appointments; all in-car lessons are scheduled online.  Students are encouraged to practice driving at home in between lessons with us, and lessons should not be scheduled any closer than every 3rd day (e.g. Monday, Thursday, Sunday). A copy of the student's Learner's Permit must be submitted to the Community Education office prior to scheduling driving lessons; no exceptions. 

Students use our scheduling software to sign up for 1-hour blocks with an instructor and can sign up for any open appointment.  *Students will sign up for 2 one hour blocks: one hour of driving and one hour of observation.*

The answer depends on how old children are when they begin the Driver Education program. Students who begin class when they are between 15 years, 9 months old, and 16 years old will need to wait until they turn 16 to obtain a Learner's Permit. The best approach is to spread the in-car lessons over the next 4-6 months, as students must be at least 16.5 years old to apply for their Driver's License.  The RMV requires students to have a Learner's Permit for 6 months and to complete a Driver Education program before taking a Driver's License test.

Students are encouraged to practice driving at home in between lessons with us, and lessons should not be scheduled any closer than every 3rd day (e.g. Monday, Thursday, Sunday).

Yes! In order to fulfill the requirements for the driving portion of the program, students must complete 12 hours of driving and 6 hours of observation. The cost is $525 which includes the $15 RMV processing fee. Please contact Rich Dushanek at rdushanek@abschools.org for more details.  

No. We pick up at the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.  If we picked up at home, we would not have time to teach all the maneuvers that students need to perfect.  We have 23
different skills we evaluate on every drive, including parallel parking and the rotary. 

Yes, if your child has a free period; some instructors are able to do lessons during the school day. Students should email Rich Dushanek at rdushanek@abschools.org with their availability, and he will coordinate with the instructor.

If for any reason a student is unable to keep a lesson appointment, they must cancel their appointment online at least 48 hours before the driving is scheduled. A student is allowed to have a substitute fill in for them up until the appointment time.  Failure to cancel in advance or find a substitute results in a $60 fee.

Students should be prompt; instructors book back-to-back lessons. The instructor will wait 10 minutes after the appointment start time. Once this time has elapsed, the student is considered a "no-show" and will be charged a $60 fee.

Students have one year to complete the Driver Education program from the start of the class.  There is a $100 charge if the student exceeds the one-year limit.

Visit the Scheduling a Road Test page for full details.