Teens in San Jose take the same 30-hour online driver education course as everywhere in California, then the permit test at a DMV office. San Jose has 2 DMV field offices; the one closest to the middle of town is the San Jose office at 111 W Alma Avenue.
Where do San Jose 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 111 W Alma Avenue, San Jose 95110 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 0.7 mi |
| Santa Clara DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 3665 Flora Vista Ave, Santa Clara 95051 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 7.5 mi |
| Santa Teresa DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 180 Martinvale Lane, San Jose 95119 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 7.7 mi |
Public high schools in San Jose
San Jose has 44 active public high schools inside city limits or with a San Jose mailing address (24 traditional, 12 charter, 6 continuation, 2 alternative) in 7 districts, with 40,730 students enrolled in the 2025-26 school year. That is about 20,365 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 |
|---|---|---|
| East Side Union High (opens in a new tab) | 24 | 21,880 |
| San Jose Unified (opens in a new tab) | 7 | 7,660 |
| Campbell Union High (opens in a new tab) | 5 | 6,794 |
| Fremont Union High (opens in a new tab) | 1 | 1,640 |
| Santa Clara County Office of Education (opens in a new tab) | 5 | 1,604 |
| Santa Clara Unified (opens in a new tab) | 1 | 852 |
| SBE - KIPP Navigate College Prep (opens in a new tab) | 1 | 300 |
| School | District | Type | Students | Nearest DMV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergreen Valley High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 2,734 | San Jose (5.4 mi) |
| Independence High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 2,229 | San Jose (4.0 mi) |
| Santa Teresa High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 2,205 | Santa Teresa (2.8 mi) |
| Silver Creek High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 2,057 | San Jose (3.9 mi) |
| Piedmont Hills High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 1,866 | San Jose (6.2 mi) |
| Yerba Buena High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 1,555 | San Jose (1.5 mi) |
| Andrew P. Hill High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 1,497 | San Jose (3.0 mi) |
| William C. Overfelt High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 1,357 | San Jose (2.8 mi) |
| Oak Grove High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 1,288 | Santa Teresa (2.8 mi) |
| Mt. Pleasant High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 931 | San Jose (4.3 mi) |
| James Lick High (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Traditional | 788 | San Jose (4.4 mi) |
| KIPP San Jose Collegiate (opens in a new tab) | East Side Union High | Charter | 530 | San Jose (3.8 mi) |
| Abraham Lincoln High | San Jose Unified | Traditional | 1,575 | San Jose (2.8 mi) |
| Willow Glen High | San Jose Unified | Traditional | 1,537 | San Jose (2.0 mi) |
| Leland High | San Jose Unified | Traditional | 1,441 | Santa Teresa (3.7 mi) |
| Pioneer High | San Jose Unified | Traditional | 1,342 | San Jose (4.7 mi) |
| San Jose High | San Jose Unified | Traditional | 904 | San Jose (2.4 mi) |
| Gunderson High | San Jose Unified | Traditional | 714 | San Jose (4.1 mi) |
| Leigh High (opens in a new tab) | Campbell Union High | Traditional | 1,894 | Los Gatos (3.2 mi) |
| Branham High (opens in a new tab) | Campbell Union High | Traditional | 1,819 | San Jose (4.4 mi) |
| Westmont High (opens in a new tab) | Campbell Union High | Traditional | 1,631 | Los Gatos (2.6 mi) |
| Del Mar High (opens in a new tab) | Campbell Union High | Traditional | 1,318 | San Jose (3.0 mi) |
| Lynbrook High | Fremont Union High | Traditional | 1,640 | Santa Clara (3.4 mi) |
| University Preparatory Academy Charter (opens in a new tab) | Santa Clara County Office of Education | Charter | 731 | San Jose (1.7 mi) |
| Kathleen MacDonald High (opens in a new tab) | Santa Clara Unified | Traditional | 852 | Santa Clara (5.2 mi) |
The table shows the 25 largest of 44 schools, grouped by district. Every school is in the California Department of Education school directory (opens in a new tab).
Licensed driving schools for the 6 hours of training
17 driving schools hold an Active California DMV license at an address inside San Jose city limits or with a San Jose 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Driving School | E2128 | 621 Tully Rd Suite 210, San Jose | (408) 410-9327 |
| A Z Driving School LLC | E2221 | 2033 Gateway Place Ste 500, San Jose | (408) 620-0752 |
| Advantage Driving School DBA Guardian Driving School | E3582 | 5440 F Thornwood Dr, San Jose | (408) 363-4182 |
| ARS Driving School | E0486 | 1165 Lincoln Ave #220, San Jose | (408) 370-8679 |
| Babita Driving School | E2219 | 12310 Mabury Road, San Jose | (408) 512-9728 |
| Blue Ribbon Driving School | E4454 | 2007 West Hedding St Suite 205, San Jose | (408) 247-6200 |
| Cupertino Driving School Inc | E4565 | 5149 Moorpark Ave Suite 104, San Jose | (408) 996-1818 |
| D N V Distinguished Driving School | E2116 | 1669 Flanigan Dr Suite B, San Jose | (408) 393-6872 |
| Daily Drivers Driving School | E2228 | 1952 Camden Ave Ste 103, San Jose | (408) 889-4997 |
| Duc Driving School | E0215 | 1969 Tully Rd Ste 50, San Jose | (408) 350-7785 |
| Economic Driving School | E2430 | 771 Sunset Glen Dr, San Jose | (408) 972-1168 |
| El Camino Driving School LLC | E0789 | 314 E Santa Clara St, San Jose | (669) 300-0889 |
| First Driving School | E0204 | 99 South Almaden Boulevard Suite 600, San Jose | (510) 364-6730 |
| Mack Driving School | E0624 | 1410 Luning Dr, San Jose | (408) 799-7787 |
| Pass Guaranteed Driving School | E0218 | 2150 N 1st St Suite 409, San Jose | (408) 353-0006 |
| Professor Driving School | E0102 | 1754 Technology Drive Suite 120 Room D, San Jose | (510) 329-6224 |
| VMD Driving School | E4702 | 2647 Senter Rd, San Jose | (408) 998-1177 |
Driving in San Jose: safety corridors and the I-280 connector
In 2015, San Jose became the fourth U.S. city to adopt a Vision Zero goal. Its Vision Zero page (opens in a new tab) says 46% of crashes that kill or severely injure people happen on Priority Safety Corridors. These are major streets with a disproportionately high number of deaths and severe injuries. The city is also piloting speed safety cameras and red light cameras. Find the corridor nearest your home on the city map, and practice it at quiet hours before rush hour.
Three freeways meet where Interstate 280 joins the US 101 and Interstate 680 connector. Caltrans lists a paving project on I-280 (opens in a new tab) from Bird Avenue to that connector in San Jose, with weeknight lane closures from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Freeway-to-freeway ramps leave little time to choose a lane. Read the overhead signs early, settle into your lane well before the split, and try this interchange first on a weekend morning.
The path to a license in San Jose
- 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 San Jose 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: Sacramento (90 mi) and Fresno (121 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)
- City of San José: Vision Zero Traffic Safety (opens in a new tab)
- Caltrans: I-280 Paving in San Jose (opens in a new tab)
Checked: October 5, 2026. Rules and forms can change; recheck the official page before acting.
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