Driver’s Education has been offered in U.S. high schools as a course or extracurricular activity. The course, however, has rapidly “disappeared” from high schools and has shifted more to being privatized by separate companies, causing costs to skyrocket.
This can pose issues for some financially, as well as new college students with other financial burdens, ultimately making it harder for those under the age of 21 to obtain a driver’s license.
In Ohio, as of September 30, 2025, a new law was passed requiring all people under the age of 21 to participate in a mandatory driving course, according to 911 Driving School. This means if a school district does not offer Driver’s Ed, the course must be taken individually with a private company.
According to the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, it is required to complete the full Class-D Driving Training, which includes 24 hours of online or classroom instruction, 8 hours of professional behind-the-wheel training, and 50 hours of driving practice (including 10 night hours) with a licensed adult over the age of 21.
Due to many schools in Ohio not offering this program, student drivers have to spend more money on the required training. The cost can range from $600 or more for the full course, according to Cleveland Magazine. Previously, the price may have been as high as $50 or slightly more when offered at high schools.
For low-income households, this can pose a barrier when it comes to learning to drive; this can also affect the efficiency when it comes to transportation to school, especially at the East main campus, where bus transportation is not available.
Not only that, but some high schoolers participate in sports, clubs, work, and other extracurricular activities where transportation is needed; the financial barrier that the cost of driving school poses can stand in the way of the opportunity to participate in these extracurricular activities.
If East were to offer driver’s education as a course or extracurricular, then more students might be able to get their driver’s license when they turn 16 or soon after, rather than waiting longer should a financial barrier stand in the way.
This course, being offered as a solid elective, can also be beneficial for students’ GPAs and for real-world training that they can use and benefit from outside the classroom. Especially since East prides itself on its multitude of extracurricular options and academic excellence, this specific course or extracurricular could make a big impact on the student body and may be one of the most beneficial classes students could be offered.
Having an in-school driver’s ed program can also benefit the overall understanding of the expectations of the school parking lot and how school traffic works from the in-car experience at school.
It can serve as an opportunity to build trust with classmates and build support systems with peers as they share their successes and get feedback from not only their teachers but from their peers as well.
Having a driver’s education course would be not only a good academic opportunity, but it would also provide real-world benefits.•
