Please read all the information below BEFORE registering.

Click here to register for the January 2025 session

January registration will open December 2 at 7:00 a.m..

The January session will start January 13 and end January 29. Please do not register if you cannot finish the course.  If you are accepted in this course, you are only allowed one opportunity to take the course.  To be eligible for the January session, your birthdate should be on or before July 13, 2010.  

An email will be sent by January 3 with details of the class. Please put these dates on your calendar.  The class will use the Canvas platform online and students will have access 24/7 to the materials. The course is self-paced.

• Frequently Asked Questions about the Driver Education program can be found here. 
• If you have questions about the driving phase, you can find information here .

Email your online registration questions to james.gilreath@cabarrus.k12.nc.us 

Email your online classroom issues and in-car driving questions to your online classroom instructor.

COVID-19 has caused a significant change in the way we are able to offer driver education. Cabarrus County Schools will offer a limited number of online driver education classes to public, private, charter, and home school students who are enrolled in a school within the Cabarrus County School District. Students can only take one session of Driver Education through a public school system in North Carolina.

The driver education course will consist of 30 hours of online classroom instruction using Canvas, followed by in-car instruction. 

The in-car phase consists of 6 hours of actual driving and 6 hours of observation. The in-car instruction could take four months or possibly longer following the online classroom phase. The scheduling of the driving phase is through the classroom instructor, who assigns students by classroom session and age to the driving instructors at each high school. Every attempt is made to drive students by age, oldest first. Students will be notified by a phone call from the driving instructor to schedule the behind-the-wheel instruction.  This information will not be available in the Manager’s Office.  Jim Gilreath, CCS Driver Education Manager, will not have driving schedules for students. The classroom instructor will provide information about the in-car scheduling during the online class.

• Students enrolling in a driver education course offered by Cabarrus County Schools will be required to pay a $65.00 fee.  Please do not pay the fee until you have been notified of acceptance in the course. The fee will need to be taken care of before the end of the classroom sessions. This fee is to cover the cost of the driver education program and is non-refundable. 

• Students that attend a Cabarrus County School may only register for the Driver Education course for the school they are enrolled in and attending. Graduates will not be offered classroom instruction or in-car instruction. All students are encouraged to register as soon as they are eligible to take classes.

• CCS, private, charter, and home school students can make payments on the school system website at the K12PaymentCenter link. Before making payment, review the K12 Payment Center Guide.  Please pay attention to step #2 & #4.  Be sure to list student name and school in the payment process.  The K12 Payment Center Guide can help if you are having trouble paying the fee.

• CCS students can apply for a Free or Reduced fee if they receive free or reduced lunch. This application is not available for non-CCS students (private, charter, or homeschool). Download, print, and complete the Free/Reduced Waiver Form.  After completing the form with your signature, submit it to Maria Antunez for approval. Once approval has been confirmed by email, you do not need to reapply for the waiver. If a student receives free lunch, the fee is waived after the form has been approved. Currently, the reduced fee is $9.75 for students receiving reduced lunch.  The reduced fee of $9.75 can be made at the K12PaymentCenter link. 

• The $65.00 fee should be made payable to Cabarrus County Schools by money order or certified check. You will need to mail your money order or certified check to Cabarrus County Schools, PO Box 388, Concord NC 28026, Attention to Jim Gilreath.  

• The $65.00 fee is to cover the cost of the driver education program and is non-refundable. Students transferring from other school systems or private driving schools to complete the classroom or driving phases will be required to pay the $65.00 fee.

• Students will not be scheduled to complete the in-car instruction until receipt of this payment and passing the CCS administered eye check. Only students in the CCS Driver Education program will be administered the eye check. The in-car instruction could take four months or possibly longer following the online classroom phase. The scheduling of the driving phase is through the classroom instructor who assigns students by age to the driving instructors at each high school. Every attempt is made to drive students by age, oldest first. Students will be notified by a phone call from the driving instructor to schedule the behind-the-wheel instruction. This information will not be available in the Director’s Office.

• Families/students have the option of taking part or all of Driver Education instruction at a private driving school at their own expense.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO TAKE DRIVER EDUCATION?

Enrollment is open to any student who attends a high school (public, private, charter, or home school) registered in Cabarrus County and meets the eligibility requirements. If the student lives in Cabarrus County, but attends school (public, private, charter, or home school) outside the county, the student is NOT eligible to receive Driver Education instruction (classroom and/or driving) in Cabarrus County Schools. Students can only take one session of Driver Education through a public school system in North Carolina.

To be eligible to enroll in the Driver Education Program, a student must meet the following requirements: 

• Attending a high school (public, private, charter, or home school) in Cabarrus County. Residency in Cabarrus County does not determine Driver Education enrollment eligibility; the county in which the school that the student attends is the determining factor.
• Be a high school student that is 14 ½ years old on the first day of the Driver Education class. Rising freshmen entering high school during June and July can register for summer sessions.  
• Have not previously enrolled in the CCS (or in any school district in NC) Driver Education program.
   

Upon completion of the 30 hours of online classroom and 6 hours of in-car instruction, the student will be given a North Carolina Driver Education Completion Certificate by the driving instructor. This certificate is presented to a designated school official where the student is enrolled to receive their North Carolina Driving Eligibility Certificate. Special arrangements are required at your high school to get the DEC due to school restrictions. Please note that once a date is placed on the DEC it is valid for 30 days. If the DEC expires, it will have to be replaced at your high school. A $5.00 replacement fee will be charged.

Home school students must contact the Division of Non-Public Schools (919-733-4276) in Raleigh to receive their Driving Eligibility Certificate.  Private and charter school students should get their Driving Eligibility Certificates at the high school they attend.

Students who have received both certificates and meet the age requirement can obtain a provisional learner’s permit through a DMV Licensing Office.

ONLINE REGISTRATION

CCS, private, charter, and home school students who wish to register for the online classroom phase of driver education must complete the registration form online. Any questions about the registration should be emailed directly to Jim Gilreath at james.gilreath@cabarrus.k12.nc.us. When you complete the registration form, please make certain you provide parent and student email addresses and phone numbers. Private, charter, and home school students will be provided a student ID # to access the curriculum using the Canvas format online.  

Any information submitted for registration that is found to be incorrect, can result in the student being removed before, during, or after the classroom session. Please make sure to enter the correct birthdate and the school the student is enrolled in and attending.