Teens in Oakland take the same 30-hour online driver education course as everywhere in California, then the permit test at a DMV office. Oakland has 2 DMV field offices; the one closest to the middle of town is the Oakland office at 5300 Claremont Avenue.
Where do Oakland teens take the permit and drive tests?
These offices are closed on weekends and open at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays. Book an appointment on the DMV appointments page (opens in a new tab), and arrive well before 4:30 p.m.: knowledge tests are not given after that. What to bring is on our permit visit checklist.
| Office | Address | Hours | Phone | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 5300 Claremont Avenue, Oakland 94618 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 3.8 mi |
| Oakland Coliseum DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 501 85th Ave, Oakland 94621 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 4.1 mi |
| El Cerrito DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 6400 Manila Avenue, El Cerrito 94530 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 9.7 mi |
Public high schools in Oakland
Oakland has 21 active public high schools inside city limits or with a Oakland mailing address (7 charter, 7 traditional, 4 alternative, 3 continuation) in 3 districts, with 10,002 students enrolled in the 2025-26 school year. That is about 5,001 high-school students for each DMV office in the city. Under California's kindergarten age rule (age 5 by September 1, Education Code 48000 (opens in a new tab)), most students reach 15½, the earliest permit age, between the spring of 9th grade and the spring of 10th grade. The permit application needs the DL 400C, so finish the online course before then.
| District | High schools | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Unified (opens in a new tab) | 18 | 9,377 |
| SBE - Latitude 37.8 High (opens in a new tab) | 1 | 396 |
| Alameda County Office of Education (opens in a new tab) | 2 | 229 |
| School | District | Type | Students | Nearest DMV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Technical High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Traditional | 1,815 | Oakland (0.6 mi) |
| Oakland High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Traditional | 1,624 | Oakland (2.8 mi) |
| Skyline High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Traditional | 1,216 | Oakland Coliseum (4.5 mi) |
| Fremont High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Traditional | 1,194 | Oakland Coliseum (2.5 mi) |
| Castlemont High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Traditional | 694 | Oakland Coliseum (2.1 mi) |
| ARISE High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Charter | 410 | Oakland Coliseum (3.0 mi) |
| AIMS College Prep High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Charter | 369 | Oakland (2.1 mi) |
| Oakland Unity High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Charter | 303 | Oakland Coliseum (2.4 mi) |
| McClymonds High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Traditional | 301 | Oakland (1.8 mi) |
| Lighthouse Community Charter High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Charter | 276 | Oakland Coliseum (0.3 mi) |
| Rudsdale Continuation High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Continuation | 245 | Oakland Coliseum (2.8 mi) |
| Oakland International High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Alternative | 244 | Oakland (0.4 mi) |
| MetWest High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Alternative | 193 | Oakland (3.1 mi) |
| Young Adult Program | Oakland Unified | Traditional | 130 | Oakland (0.8 mi) |
| Dewey Academy High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Continuation | 127 | Oakland (3.0 mi) |
| Gateway to College High at Laney College (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Alternative | 100 | Oakland (3.0 mi) |
| Street Academy Alternative High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Alternative | 83 | Oakland (1.6 mi) |
| Ralph J. Bunche Continuation High (opens in a new tab) | Oakland Unified | Continuation | 53 | Oakland (2.5 mi) |
| Latitude 37.8 High | SBE - Latitude 37.8 High | Charter | 396 | Oakland Coliseum (3.3 mi) |
| LPS Oakland R & D Campus (opens in a new tab) | Alameda County Office of Education | Charter | 143 | Oakland Coliseum (2.2 mi) |
| Alternatives in Action (opens in a new tab) | Alameda County Office of Education | Charter | 86 | Oakland Coliseum (1.7 mi) |
Licensed driving schools for the 6 hours of training
6 driving schools hold an Active California DMV license at an address inside Oakland city limits or with a Oakland mailing address (DMV list checked 2026-10-04). The list is alphabetical; we do not rank schools. Confirm a license on the DMV lookup (opens in a new tab) before you pay.
| Driving school | DMV license | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| All in the Family Driving School LLC | E0588 | 55 Santa Clara Ave #230B, Oakland | (510) 882-1399 |
| Anitas Drivers Training | E2109 | 8682 Seneca Street, Oakland | (510) 639-7931 |
| Cities Driving School | E0203 | 324 10th St # 206, Oakland | |
| MamaBear's Driving School | E0772 | 10635 Acalanes Drive, Oakland | (510) 689-9714 |
| Oakse Driving School | E4712 | 1407 Webster Street Suite 205, Oakland | (510) 282-3911 |
| Swift Driving School | E3434 | 411 E 18th St Ste D, Oakland | (510) 839-3819 |
Learning to drive in Oakland: I-980 and new East Oakland roundabouts
Oakland packs several freeways into a small space, and Interstate 980 shows how tight it gets. The Vision 980 Study (opens in a new tab) describes a 1.6-mile freeway between I-880 and I-580 that cuts West Oakland off from downtown. Caltrans finished Phase 1 in November 2025 and expects a Phase 2 feasibility study to begin in 2026. Ideas include a freeway cap or a boulevard, so this road may look different someday. For now, interchanges come close together. Read the overhead signs early and settle into your lane before each split.
Neighborhood streets carry their own risk. Safe Oakland Streets (opens in a new tab) reports that every week, two Oaklanders are killed or badly hurt in crashes. In February 2026, Caltrans announced state funding for East Oakland streets (opens in a new tab) such as 81st and 85th avenues. The work calls for 22 new roundabouts, 157 new crosswalks and 81 speed bumps. As these go in, ease off the gas on each approach and give way to cars already circling. Treat every fresh crosswalk as a place where someone may step out.
The path to a license in Oakland
- Finish the online driver education course (30 hours, $49.95 with Traffic Tutors) and wait for the mailed DL 400C.
- At 15½, apply for the permit at the Oakland DMV office or any other, with the DL 400C and a parent's signature.
- Book the first behind-the-wheel lesson; the instructor validates the permit.
- Practice 50 hours with a licensed driver 25 or older, 10 at night, while finishing the 6 training hours.
- After 6 months with the permit and at 16 or older, take the drive test. Dates: age date tool.
Nearest other city guides: Berkeley (5.5 mi) and Richmond (12 mi). Every county is listed on drivers ed by county.
Quick answers
Sources
- California DMV field office list (fetched 2026-10-05) (opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Education: public schools directory, 2025-26 (fetched 2026-10-05) (opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Finance: E-1 population estimates, January 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- California DMV: Teen drivers (opens in a new tab)
- California DMV Occupational License Lookup: driving schools (checked 2026-10-04) (opens in a new tab)
- California Education Code section 48000: kindergarten admission age (opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Education School Directory: district offices (checked 2026-10-04) (opens in a new tab)
- Caltrans: Vision 980 Study (I-980, Oakland) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Oakland: Safe Oakland Streets (opens in a new tab)
- Caltrans District 4: California Invests Nearly $1 Billion (East Oakland active transportation allocation) (opens in a new tab)
Checked: October 5, 2026. Rules and forms can change; recheck the official page before acting.
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