This school has several different locations. My son took his Driver Education at their Timonium location.
I must note that my elder son had taken his Driver Ed at a COMPETITOR who had been highly recommended. Neither elder son nor I were impressed--none existent customer service (leave a message) and a cattle call mentality. My elder son actually told me that it was a good thing he knew all this stuff anyway because the classes were a complete waste of time.
TOTALLY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE WITH ABC. I was much more nervous about my younger son taking driver's ed since he has severe enough learning disabilities that he actually had to have a personal assistant in high school as part of his IEP.
First day of class I explained to the instructor about my son's learning disabilities. He was great--he explained to me that he had been teaching Driver Ed for 30 years and had plenty of experience dealing with kids who had learning disabilities like ADD and dyslexia. As long as my son put in the effort, he would make sure my son had a successful experience,
The instructor not only made accommodations in the classroom but actually allowed us to take home the overhead slides to photocopy. He also provided my son with extra study materials and practice tests.
My son stayed engaged (the teacher was an outstanding lecturer) and passed the final exam with a 90% score!
We are still working through the driving sessions but so far I continue to be impressed. The on-the road instructor (who is a different gentleman) has been very patient and encouraging with my son, who has a normally high anxiety level anyway.
I have had nothing but OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE from ABC. If you cannot afford to pay the entire amount up front, they will work with you on installment payments. Many other schools require the entire amount up front. Calls were always answered with courtesy and If I had to leave a message after hours or send them an email, I always got a reply the next morning.
Sixteen year-olds who think that calling the day after finishing the 30 hour classroom session and expecting to immediately get their drive-times need a reality check.
All driving schools have to work with a time lag because of the reality that while you can fit 30 kids in a classroom, the driving sessions have to be one-on-one. A month is not unusual, and sometimes it is 6-8 weeks because summer is a popular time for drivers ed.
ABC is about $25 more expensive than other schools but in my mind, it is money well spent.
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