Hands down the best school. Owner is accommodating and super friendly. Glad we chose this school…read morefor our kids. Look at the car! Too cute. Reasonable priced and approved by MVA.

I had the worst experience here. I had an instructor yell and lose their temper my very first…read morelesson. I even had an instructor literally tease and bilittle me when I told them I was nervous, he laughed and mocked "Oh you're making me nervous". Another instructor ate his lunch and was on his phone almost the whole session. I hope this review helps a new driver make a better decision than I did. Please do your research like I should have. I can't believe this is a "5 start" rated driving school.

Such an excellent teacher! Ms. Rani gives such clear guidance and is so easy going. When I was…read morefeeling discouraged and anxious about driving, she encouraged me and made me feel like I could take on any challenge. I've actually had four different driving instructors, but once I found Ms. Rani, I began to gain confidence and skill on the road. I highly recommend Ms. Rani's school to anyone who is seeking a patient, knowledgeable, encouraging teacher.

I did the 30 hr Driver Education Program and 6 hr Behind the Wheel Session with Begin New Driving…read moreSchool followed by 10 hrs of personal driving lessons before taking the road skills test at the WhiteOaks MVA. After that I took the road test and passed it in the first attempt. My experience with the driving instructor has been fantastic. Especially, considering the fact that I never drove a car before. Ms. Rani Nathan, my driving instructor taught me well the procedures of operating the car and driving in different conditions and prepared me well for the test. She is supportive, patient and has excellent knowledge about all MVA rules and policies which helped me take the test with confidence. The classroom sessions prepared me well for the challenge of driving on the road and the driving lessons got me up to speed so that I can now drive with more confidence. Also, the driving school conducts the Behind the Wheel sessions within a month of the 30 hr driver education program which helps to complete the program quickly. Begin New Driving School is very highly recommended!

The driving school is okay. When I dropped my child off at the school near my home, the staff said…read morethey would have the driver education program to meet the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration's requirement for 30 classroom hours and 6 hours behind the wheel. However, I did not feel the school followed the criteria, and my child learned too little. So, I instructed and trained my child for more than 100 hours a year. Luckily, my child passed his driver's license successfully. Anyway, I do not strongly recommend the school.

I was really nervous to even think if getting behind the wheel, until I came to Americas Driving…read moreAcademy. Within 30 minutes of the first session I felt super confident and comfortable! I was able to pass my drivers test with flying colors, I 100% recommended this driving academy for all of those who are nervous about driving!

Very patient instructor teaching stick driving to a newbie. I would totes higher again.read more

The customer service is very friendly, and the instructor is very nice and helpful. I rent a car…read morefrom them and got my road test passed with flying colors! The tips I learned from the instructor are easy to memorize and implement! A no doubt five-star service for them :-)

I really loved the service and how i was treated was beyond my expectations, I'd like to thank…read moreyesouf foremost, May God bles you

If you're looking for the best instructor ever, then you're on the perfect place! I definitely…read morerecommend you for their true guidance and patience that made me become a safe driver. Thank you for giving me the confidence which I will need the most. Your lessons were very informative, well-structured and I really appreciate your encouragement. Thank you so much!

I just passed my DC driving test, and its all thanks to the wonderful instruction from this school!…read moreI would recommend them highly to anyone, especially folks like me who are learning as adults. Before my lessons with Mr. Ish, the only driving experience I had as a 36 year old was some parking lot practice, and a one hour lesson with a different school (which I didn't think was very helpful so I didn't continue). I took 5 lessons of 2 hours each (10 hours total) with him and found him to be an incredibly patient and supportive instructor. I had a lot of anxiety going into the whole process, and his calm presence always put me at ease and made me more confident. When I would make a mistake like making too wide of a turn into a streeet, he would point it out but also ask me why I did it that way. It felt like he really wanted to get to the root of the issue to help fix it. In the case of turning too wide, we realized that I was misjudging the distance of my car from the parked cars on the street. This thoughtful approach really helped diagnose and correct issues as they came up and it was so satisfying to visibly see myself improve. His approach to teaching parallel parking was super clear, and I was able to confidently parallel park during the test, and have now also done it in relatively tight spots on DC streets! He also recommended doing a last lesson right before the test in the Deanwood neighborhood (where the DMV test takes place). This was great advice, and Mr. Teddy accommodated me for a pre-test lesson on short notice. I used the school's car for the test, which was helpful since I was familiar with it. The day of the test there was a really long wait at the DMV and Mr. Teddy waited with me patiently and was also really supportive. All the communication and reminders from the school about lesson times, locations were timely and clear, Mr. Ish was always on time for picking me up, and it was just a seamless experience end to end.

Excellent driving instructors. Took my roads test and passed the first time!…read more Seriously, Mr. Ish and Mr. Teddy are very patient and definitely want you to pass. I had wanted to book extra hours behind the wheel before I scheduled my roads test, but Mr. Ish really pushed me to take it sooner because he felt I was ready. Very glad he did.

Do not trust these people. Initially they will talk to you in a very impressive way but in end (or…read moreafter paying money) they will behave differently. Do not trust there words. One time they promise or claim something and later on changes totally. They are more in to getting money. Starting with low amount then gradually asking for more to get you there. Even in there driving classes (2hour session each). They will give less time or combined time, in which you will be sitting and other person will be driving though you will be paying for those classes/time. I will not suggest to go to these people. In this amount you will find more reliable and professional people. Get best value out of your money. Do not trust them.

I have had the privilege of attending 3 different driving schools (locally and internationally) and…read morethis is by far the best driving school ever!!!! The instructors are extremely qualified and the only thing that trumps their qualifications is their inexhaustible patience for new drivers!!! Their customer service is exceptional, their price is affordable and their expertise paired with patience empowers new drivers to be confident, safe and successful not only for the DMV exam but for life!!!! Mr. Rana and his wife are driving instructors that are truly second to NONE!!!

My son took an extra practice two hour driving session with Maurice and had an extremely positive…read moreexperience. Maurice was very patient and helped my son get over his driving phobias. He had my son driving on the beltway back from College Park at the end of the session (something I could never do on my own with him). I highly recommend behind the wheel sessions with Maurice.

Google reviews were great, reviews here were poor, I went with Google's. Big mistake…read more Purchased a single driving lesson for "extra practice" for my teenage daughter. Called the office to explain exactly the driving skills we wanted the instructor to focus on and asked them to note that with the instructor. We arrived early at the Bethesda office. Office was closed with a sign saying their instructors will meet you there if you have a scheduled lesson. When the lesson time came and went, I called the first posted phone number, which was out of service. Not a good sign. The second number was answered, and we were then contacted by the instructor who had parked on the street outside -- the first of multiple communication issues. The instructor had no idea why we had scheduled a lesson. Compared to "the competition" in our area (the one with ex-cops, which we previously used), the instructor was unfriendly and unwelcoming --- not a good thing with a new, un-confident driver. After the lesson, my daughter told me that the instructor hardly gave her feedback while she was driving, gave her turn and other directions at the last second, and told her to slow down instead of speeding up to be closer to highway speed when she was merging onto the highway. When she first entered the car, the instructor was playing loud talk-radio. When my daughter asked if he could turn it off (at least she had the sense not to be playing talk-radio during a driving lesson); he turned it down, not off, until she asked again. I don't expect miracles from a driving school, but we know from experience that Habesha's service and professionalism was far below the competition.

They are a horrible driving school . I don't recommend . The Front desk person is so rude and…read moreunorganized. They make you wait months to get a call back for your driving hours it's a waste of time and money !

I went to Alcantara for the 36 hour class and three driving sessions and had a great experience!…read morePeter is an excellent teacher, in the classroom and as a driving instructor. His style made me feel really comfortable behind the wheel. Class met every weekday for two weeks from 6 to 9 - which I was really dreading because I work every day but honestly, it went by so fast and Peter made the class time painless. Highly recommend, so glad I found them.

My daughter goes to Silver Oaks. She is a first grader now, so it is our second year. We really…read morelike it. My daughter is sad, when she is sick and can't go to school. The teachers are wonderful. There is so much I want to learn from them! They are calm, positive and knowledgeable. The school has several "specials": Spanish (2 times a week!!), Art, Music and Taekwondo. Kids eat their lunch and snack outside. They also have some free playtime outside. The classes are small, 12-14kids in the class. Looks like academically the school is doing good too. My daughter can read and write already. Knows the same things (maybe even more) than her friends from other schools (public or private).

Warning: This school requests removal of uncomplimentary reviews. They previously removed 2…read morenegative/mixed reviews from other former members. I know this because I was contacted by those former members. We also had a mixed experience at this school. Academics are weak, but outdoor play/work time was nice and plentiful and the community of families was supportive. We wanted this school to be a success, but over time we we observed more and more troubling disconnects between the school's stated ideals and the reality in the classroom.  This would normally be fixable, but unfortunately we also found transparency and openness to constructive feedback to be an issue. Just two of these disconnects are detailed below: 1.) Although I was repeatedly assured by the director and the Kindergarten teacher that Kindergarteners and 1st graders are provided with consistent phonics instruction, it turned out that balanced literacy was actually implemented i the K and 1st grade classrooms. Had the school leadership been transparent about their approach ahead of time, we would have been able to have made an informed decision (and would not have enrolled our kindergartener.) I would encourage all parents of Kindergarten and 1st grade students to research literacy education and in particular the differences between systematic phonics instruction and balanced literacy. Here are some references which may be a good starting point: https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read https://www.apmreports.org/story/2019/08/22/whats-wrong-how-schools-teach-reading https://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25919951&bcid=25919951&rssid=25919941&item=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.edweek.org%2Fv1%2Few%2Findex.html%3Fuuid%3DE973330E-E51D-11E9-9B3A-8AF258D98AAA 2.) Although Silver Oaks presented itself to us as embracing each child's unique character and developmental trajectory, this attitude was missing in our interactions with her teacher. At our mid-year conference we were informed (to our surprise) that our kindergartener's behavior was so outside the norm that a pediatric visit was urgently called for. We were surprised at the teacher's lack of curiosity about school-factors that could be influencing our normally well-behaved child, her emphasis on intrinsic pathology, and her decision to wait so long to communicate what she described as a several months-long pattern. Our experience was not unique. Some children appear to do well, and others don't. Our curiosities about this include: - Are the behavioral expectations at Silver Oaks Cooperative School reasonable for all 5-year olds? Is there some normal variation which is not being permitted? - Are the academic expectations reasonable given the choices of curriculum materials (or lack thereof), the emphasis on independent or small-group work, and the somewhat limited daily academic time (as much of the day is spent outdoors, in free-choice, or in electives). Perhaps it is not possible to do and be all things simultaneously. - Are there too many transitions in a Silver Oaks day (most children struggle with frequent transitions / interruptions from their learning and play)? - Are there too many different teachers/caregivers/coopers with different behavioral expectations and do some children struggle with having so many of those transitions? - Are some children bored or otherwise not being fully engaged academically? We were sorry to part ways with the many lovely families we met, but eventually these and other issues were too big for us to ignore.