REGISTRATION FOR THE WINTER DRIVER'S EDUCATION SESSION WILL BE OPEN
JANUARY 6-8, 2025.

Classes will start January 27, 2025 and end approximately March 7, 2025.

REGISTER FOR DRIVER'S ED HERE

Email confirmations of class placement or non-placement will be sent by January 10th.
*Please monitor your spam and junk mail so you don’t miss the emails.
*Please call Jodi Hicks at 406-771-5103 if you DO NOT receive an email by that date.

**DO NOT make payment for a class until you are offered a seat into a class. You will receive class placement and payment notification via email after registration closes.
Questions? Please contact: jodi_hicks@gfps.k12.mt.us

Age Requirements:   Students must be 14.5 years old and born on or before July 27, 2010.

• Winter/Spring Class – Registration will open 1/6/25 at 8 am and go until 1/8/25 at 4 pm.  Student placement into classes is sorted oldest to youngest with age verified prior to notification.
• Tentative March Class - (If instructors are available) Registration will open 2/18/25 at 8 am and go until 2/20/25 at 4 pm. Student placement into classes is sorted oldest to youngest with age verified prior to notification.
• Tentative April Class - (If instructors are available) Registration will open 3/11/25 at 8 am and go until 3/13/25 at 4 pm. Student placement into classes is sorted oldest to youngest with age verified prior to notification.
• Summer 2025 Class – Registration will open 4/8/25 at 8 am and go until 4/10/2025.  Age cutoff requirement will be determined by previous session waitlist numbers

Cost for class sessions is $225.00 This fee will increase to $250 for the Fall 2025 session.

Available seats for Drivers Education may be limited at times during the year.  The procedure for placement of students into classes is outlined below.

1. Ranked by birth date.  Oldest students have preference for placement.
2. Once ordered by birth date, we place students into classes using their class preference until classes are full.
3. Students who are not placed into a class because of limited available space, will be notified and placed on the waitlist in order of age.
4. Students failing to pay for the class by the deadline will be removed and students on the waitlist will be offered a seat in the class-ranked by birth date.

Requirements for class once a seat is offered into a current session:

Mandatory Parent/Student Meeting
This is required parent/guardian meeting prior to the start of each class or during the first week of class.  Bring with you to the mandatory meeting:

• a parent/guardian driver’s license and a black ink pen
• student’s birth certificate or passport; and
• student’s social security card or Montana ID

Two forms of Student ID (must be originals or certified copies of documents).  You may not start the class without these documents.

TO SECURE A SEAT IN CLASS AND BEFORE MANDATORY PARENT/STUDENT MEETING:  Payment ($225.00) must be made by credit card, debit card, cash or check at the high school finance office or at central reception of the District Offices (1100 4th Street South).   No refunds given after a class begins.

42 Hours of Classroom Instruction
Classes are offered at CMR and Great Falls High.  Students may register for class at either school, but a parent needs to provide transportation. Classes are after school 4-5 times per week-most instructors do not have classes on Wednesday due to the early out time. Summer class times vary during the day.  The individual instructors set their own schedules for each session, so no two schedules are ever the same.

Attendance:
Students can only miss a maximum of 4.5 hours of classroom time. If they miss more than that they will be dropped from the course.  Students can only miss one drive, they will be dropped it they miss two (2) scheduled drives. (Students are required to make-up hours & homework as assigned by the instructor to successfully complete the class. Completing make-up work does not excuse the absence).  Since class attendance is mandatory, please take into consideration your family/student schedule (like sports, vacations, jobs).  The third absence is an automatic “unsuccessful” for the entire class.

12 Hours of Driving Observation
Students will drive 12 times either after school or on weekends.  Driving time is scheduled by the instructor.  Great Falls Public Schools will provide the Driver’s Education car. Students will drive in Groups of three. When they are not driving they are completing the state required 12 hours of observation time. During this time, students should be paying attention to the driver and the instructor's comments. Phones are not allowed during driving or observation time and will be kept in the trunk of the car.

6 Hours of Road Instruction
Driving time is scheduled by the instructor.  Great Falls Public Schools will provide the Driver’s Education car.

Traffic/Driver’s Education classes are not part of the school district curriculum.
Adult driver’s education is offered through the GFPS Career and College Readiness Center. Students who have graduated and are 18 and above will need to take the Adult Driver's Ed program. More information can be found by contacting Jodi Hicks, jodi_hicks@gfps.k12.mt.us.

For Instructors Interested in Teaching Driver’s Education
To teach traffic education in Montana’s public schools, teachers must have an active Montana educator’s license, an acceptable driving record, and at least 8 semester credits in initial traffic education coursework taken at Montana State University-Northern.

If you have questions, please contact Jodi Hicks at jodi_hicks@gfps.k12.mt.us.