Driving School for Buckley Students

Before a California teen can apply for a license, two requirements must be met:

• Minimum 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training with a licensed driving school (this is what our lesson packages cover)
• Minimum 50 hours of supervised driving practice with a parent, guardian, or licensed instructor. At least 10 hours must be at night

The 50 hours can be tracked using our free California driving log. Individual or custom lessons with our instructors count toward this total.

Students who want more time with an instructor beyond their standard package can book individual or custom lessons at any point. These are a great option for:

• Extra practice on specific skills (freeway driving, parking, canyon roads)
• Logging additional hours toward the 50-hour DMV requirement
• Night driving practice with a licensed instructor (counts toward the required 10 nighttime hours)
• Building confidence before the DMV road test

Ask us about individual lesson options when you sign up or after completing your package.

Stick with what was covered in the last lesson before moving on to anything new. Familiar Sherman Oaks streets are perfect for this kind of low-pressure repetition.

• Quiet residential streets with minimal traffic
• Empty public parking lots (school or shopping center off-hours)
• Avoid jumping to busier roads or freeway until the instructor confirms the student is ready

Students who practice between lessons advance significantly faster. Less time reviewing old material means more time building new skills.

Our usual recommendation is to spread lessons across the full 6 months of the learner's permit. That gives families time for real supervised practice in between, and lets each lesson build meaningfully on the last. Every family's schedule is different though, so we work around school, sports, and other activities.

This is completely understandable and far more common than people assume. Families should never feel pressure to practice beyond their comfort level. Just wait for the next lesson. The instructor will check readiness and take it from there.

A focused lesson scheduled 1-2 weeks ahead of test day. Your instructor walks through DMV expectations, runs a mock road test, flags habits that could cost points on the actual exam, and helps build pre-test confidence.

If you have already booked your DMV slot, let us know which office. We will plan the refresher to cover the roads around that DMV as much as legally possible. The DMV itself prohibits driving the test route during business hours, but our instructors know the streets around the DMVs near Sherman Oaks and can prepare your student for what they are most likely to see.

Plenty of families use just this. Others combine it with the full test prep package below for end-to-end coverage.

Of all our options, this is the easiest one for families to manage. After you book the DMV Test Prep package, we work with you to land a DMV appointment that aligns with your schedule and our availability for instructor and vehicle. The scheduling burden lifts off you. Just one heads-up: if you choose this package, please skip booking your own DMV slot, since we may not be available on a self-selected date.

On test day, we pick your student up about an hour before the appointment, warm up with focused practice near the DMV, then drive to the test in our licensed, insured, and test-ready vehicle. Our instructor checks the student in, makes sure all paperwork is in order, and provides last-minute tips and a confidence boost right before the examiner arrives.

You don't need to provide a car, arrange transportation, or navigate DMV logistics. We handle it all.

Home pick-up is the most popular option, and the most convenient for most families. The instructor arrives at your front door at the scheduled time, greets the student, and (when a parent is around) briefly goes over the lesson plan beforehand and shares progress notes at drop-off.

Sherman Oaks driving school lessons have a 15-minute arrival window to account for traffic. All lesson time is always taught in full from the moment the instructor arrives.

A convenient option on school days or after activities. Students can meet us at or near the campus entrance on Stansbury Ave in front of the library. Our vehicles have a large leaf logo on the side. The instructor will exit to greet your student when safe, or your student can approach and enter directly.

Pick-up and drop-off can sometimes be different locations. For example, picked up at The Buckley School and dropped at home.

Pick-up spot: Sherman Oaks

After every lesson, your instructor emails a personal written assessment to both student and parent: what was practiced, how it went, and what to work on before the next session. If a parent is available at drop-off, the instructor will take a few minutes to review in person.

Stick to what was covered in the most recent lesson. Your progress report will have specific guidance. The general rule: master that skill before moving to anything more advanced.

• Quiet residential streets, good for Level 1 review
• Empty parking lots, good for parking, turning circles, and low-stakes maneuvering
• Main streets throughout Sherman Oaks once residential driving is solid

If a particular skill feels uncomfortable for you and your student to practice, it's okay to wait until the next lesson. Don't push into anything that feels unsafe.

We have both male and female instructors on staff, and you can read bios before booking any lesson. Vehicle choice is also flexible: pick between our Toyota Prius and Lexus SUV, both fitted with dual brake controls for instructor safety.

We accommodate instructor and vehicle requests based on availability. Assignments happen on a first-come, first-served basis when you book.

Meet all of our instructors

Many students use both of our test prep options together: a refresher lesson in the days before the test to sharpen skills, followed by our full DMV Test Prep package on test day where we handle scheduling, bring a licensed and insured vehicle, check the student in, and provide a confidence boost right before the examiner arrives. They work well in sequence.

Book a DMV prep lesson