Parent taught drivers ed in Texas, step by step.

Parent taught drivers ed in Texas lets an eligible parent or guardian teach the driving while your teen takes the 24-hour classroom part online. You order the TDLR program guide first, spend 44 hours in the car together, and your teen takes the road test at 16. Our $109 course covers the online course, the permit test and the DE-964 certificate, and the road test can be taken at our Arlington academy.

Enroll for $109 Call (469) 550-1743

★★★★★ 4.8 from 254 Google reviewsDPS-authorized road test site

Parent-taught at a glance

Who teaches: Eligible parent or guardian
Classroom: 24 hours, online
In the car: 14 + 30 logged hours
Road test: Age 16, at our academy
Our course: $109

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Step one

Who can be the parent-taught instructor.

TDLR sets the rules. Please check them before you pay for any course, so you do not lose time or money.

Relationship: parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, foster parent or legal guardian
License: valid license held for the past 3 years
Record: no DWI or DUI conviction in the past 7 years
Suspensions: no license suspension, revocation or forfeiture in the past 3 years

TDLR runs the eligibility check and issues the program guide. Start at the TDLR parent-taught page. If no family member qualifies, choose instructor-taught teen drivers ed instead.

The full process

How parent taught drivers ed works in Texas.

Order the program guide

Request the parent-taught program guide through TDLR before any lessons begin.

Start the 24-hour course

Your teen can begin the classroom phase online at 14.

Learner license at 15

After the first 6 hours and the permit test inside the online course, go to DPS with the DE-964 (course certificate), the VOE form (school attendance form) and ID documents.

14 hours of instruction

7 hours driving and 7 hours observing, taught by the eligible parent.

30 hours of practice

Log 30 more hours, 10 at night, with the Texas 30-hour guide.

Impact Texas Teen Drivers

ITTD is the required 2-hour course about distracted driving, taken within 90 days of the road test. You can buy it from us for $30.

Road test at 16

After 6 months on the learner license, test at our academy and take your results to DPS.

Is it right for your family?

Parent-taught or instructor-taught?

	Parent-taught	Instructor-taught with us
Who teaches in the car	You, in your own car	Our certified instructor, dual-control Toyota Corolla
Your time	44 hours in the car, plus planning lessons	30 logged practice hours with you; we cover the 14 instructed hours
Cost with us	$109, plus the TDLR program guide fee	$530 Full Package, or $99 online + $440 behind the wheel. See packages
Insurance	Your car and policy during practice	Our school car and insurance during lessons
Road test	At our academy, from $75	At our academy, from $75

Our part

Self taught drivers ed in Texas: what we handle.

Teaching at home does not mean doing the test alone. Online checkout adds a $1 booking fee and a card processing fee.

Teen Self-Taught course, $109

The TDLR-approved 24-hour online course, the DPS permit (knowledge) test, included in the online course, a downloadable DE-964 certificate and progress tracking. The road test is booked separately.

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Practice road test, $50

A full mock test with point-by-point feedback, so your teen knows where points are lost.

See road test

Two lessons with us, $140

Parallel parking and backing are scored strictly on the road test. Two private lessons ($70 each, 2-lesson minimum) give your teen focused practice on both.

See lessons

Official DPS road test

$75 in your car, $100 in ours. Seven days a week, by appointment.

Book road test

Test day

What your teen brings to the road test.

Learner license held at least 6 months
DE-964 certificate (the driver education certificate from the parent-taught course)
Impact Texas Teen Drivers (ITTD) certificate dated within 90 days
VOE form from school
Testing in your own car: its current registration and insurance. Testing in our car ($100): nothing else to bring

Google reviews

Road tests at our academy.

Real reviews from our Google Business Profile.

★★★★★

“Excellent driving test experience, everything was smooth and well-organized. The instructor was professional, patient, and very helpful.”

Sachin M.
Google review, 2026

★★★★★

“Smooth experience!!! The instructor was very professional and courteous. The documentation process was easy and the road test was successful.”

Celestine C.
Google review, 2025

★★★★★

“Mohammed is an amazing instructor. He is patient and professional. I recommend paying for the practice road test before the actual road test as I did.”

Mike O.
Google review, 2025

Questions, answered

Parent taught drivers ed questions.

Still have a question?(469) 550-1743Call us now

Who can teach parent taught drivers ed in Texas?

A parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, foster parent or legal guardian who has held a valid license for the past 3 years, has no DWI conviction in the past 7 years, and no license suspension in the past 3 years. Check eligibility with TDLR before you start.

Do we need the PTDE program guide before starting?

Yes. Order the parent-taught program guide through TDLR before the course begins. Hours completed before the guide is issued may not count.

How many driving hours does parent taught drivers ed require?

14 hours of structured instruction (7 driving, 7 observing) plus 30 hours of logged practice, 10 of them at night. That is 44 hours in the car in total.

How many classroom hours does a Texas teen need?

24 hours, taken online through a TDLR-approved course. Our $109 course covers it.

Can my teen take the road test at your academy after parent-taught drivers ed?

Yes. We are a DPS-authorized third party test site. Teens 16 and older can test with us, from $75, once they have the DE-964 certificate, a learner license held 6 months, a VOE form from school and an Impact Texas Teen Drivers certificate dated within 90 days.

What does your $109 Teen Self-Taught course include?

It includes the TDLR-approved 24-hour online course, the DPS permit (knowledge) test, included in the online course, a downloadable DE-964 certificate and progress tracking. The parent teaches the 14 in-car hours and supervises the 30-hour practice log. The DPS road test is separate, from $75.

Is self taught drivers ed in Texas the same as parent-taught?

Yes. Self taught drivers ed, Texas parent-taught drivers ed and PTDE all describe the same TDLR program: the teen takes the classroom phase through an approved course and an eligible family member teaches the in-car hours.

Can we mix parent teaching with a few professional lessons?

Yes. You can book private lessons with our certified instructor ($70 each, 2-lesson minimum) for parallel parking and highway merging, or a $50 practice road test before the real one.

Reviewed by Mohammad Mohsin Hassan, TDLR-licensed driver education instructor (#2609) and DPS-authorized examiner. Last updated October 2026.
Sources: TDLR parent-taught driver education, Texas 30-Hour Behind-the-Wheel Guide, Texas DPS Impact Texas Drivers.

Teaching at home? You are not on your own.

Call and we will happily walk you through the parent-taught steps.

Enroll for $109 Call (469) 550-1743