Start a school
Driver-ed is a real business. We hand you the keys.
You bring an instructor cert, a car, and insurance. directio gives you everything else — the website, the classroom, the scheduler, the payment processor, the state credentialing, the family portal — out of the box, today.
Why this business
The boring math is great.
Driver-ed isn't sexy. It's a $1B+ U.S. industry with permanent demand, healthy margins, and competition that hasn't updated its software since 2009.
Demand is permanent
Every year, ~4 million Americans turn 16. Every one of them needs a license. The pipeline doesn't slow down in a recession.
Margins are healthy
Average packages run $400–$800 per student. A solo instructor with one car can pull $80K-120K a year. Two cars and a part-time instructor scales linearly.
Competition is asleep
Most schools are 1–3 person operations running on paper logs and a Yahoo email. Your bar to outclass them is shockingly low.
Your state is short of schools
Driving instructor shortages are at crisis levels in OH, WA, CA, and most rural counties. Some states have multi-month student waitlists.
What you bring
Three things. That's the whole list.
The actual physical-world inputs to running a driver-ed school are dead simple. Everything else is software, and that's the part we handle.
- 1A state instructor certification.
Every state has its own credential. Most are 30–60 hours of training plus a background check. Some states (MN, OH) let high-school teachers cross-credential.
- 2A car (or two).
A sedan with a passenger-side brake pedal kit ($800–$1,500 installed). A visible school sign. Magnet decals work.
- 3Commercial driver-ed insurance.
Specialty market. Coverage runs $2K–$5K per car per year. Several national carriers serve this niche; your state's school regulations specify minimums.
What it costs to start
Real numbers
- Instructor cert + background check$300–$800
- Used sedan + brake pedal kit$8K–$18K
- Commercial insurance (year 1)$2K–$5K
- LLC + state school registration$200–$1,500
- directio (Free tier)$0
A single full-price package can run $700. Break-even at ~30 students depending on insurance + car loan.
What we hand you
The entire software side. Done.
This is what a competitor would charge you $20K to integrate. You get it in an hour, branded as your school.
Your marketing website
A real branded site at /schools/your-slug. Studio tier: full custom site at your own domain, AI-generated from a few questions about your school.
The full classroom
Modules, lessons, video, PDFs, quizzes with explanations. Start with our seeded curriculum; edit anything you want.
Scheduling that doesn't double-book
Instructors publish hours. Families self-serve book or you book for them. The system refuses to double-schedule the same car or instructor.
Payments straight to your bank
Stripe Connect. Pay once, pay monthly, or buy-now-pay-later. We never touch your money.
State credentialing
Your state's permit credential (Blue Card, ITTD, etc.) unlocks automatically when students finish. Minnesota is the deepest today; other states get co-built when their first school signs up.
The family experience that gets reviews
One login per family, full timeline, self-serve reschedule with your fee policy. The mobile-first UX every parent has been begging for.
Paperwork queue
Parents sign waivers from their phones. You approve from yours. PDF completion certificates with your branding.
Mobile instructor portal
Your today view fits one hand. One tap to mark no-show. Voice-type lesson notes for the next session.
From idea to first lesson
Your first 30 days.
Week 1
Get your instructor cert
Sign up for your state's instructor course. Most run 30–60 hours over a few weekends. Order your car's brake-pedal kit while you wait.
Week 2
Sign up + brand your school
Create your directio account. Set your school name, logo, brand color. Install your state's rule pack. Connect your bank for payments. Studio tier? Answer 10 questions and we'll generate your custom website.
Week 3
Get insured + LLC
File your LLC ($50–$500 depending on state). Buy commercial driver-ed insurance. Register with your state's school authority. Most states approve in 1–3 weeks.
Week 4
Take your first students
Your /schools/your-slug page is live. Programs and packages are listed with transparent fees. Families sign up themselves. Schedule lessons. Take payments. Run your business.
Studio tier
Your own custom marketing website. AI-built. Yours forever.
Don't have a website? Have an embarrassing one from 2015? Upgrade to Studio. Answer a 10-question intake form about your school, your area, and your vibe. Our AI builds you a real custom marketing site — copy, photos, layout, the works — at your own domain.
- Bring your own domain (yourschool.com) or use ours
- Site auto-syncs your programs, pricing, instructors, and hours
- SEO-optimized, mobile-first, fast everywhere
- Update by editing in directio — the site updates itself
- Replaces Wix, Squarespace, or whatever you're paying for today
Studio intake — sample
- 01What's your school called?
- 02Where do you serve students? (city, region)
- 03Three words that describe your vibe?
- 04What programs do you offer?
- 05Years experience? Instructor backgrounds?
- 06What makes you different from other schools?
- 07Photos to include? (or pick from our stock library)
- 08Phone, email, hours?
- 09Brand color and font preference?
- 10Domain you want to use?
Your custom site is live in under an hour, hosted by us, indexed by Google.
Start the school you've been thinking about.
Free to start. No credit card. Connect your bank when your first family pays.