DRIVER EDUCATION IN ELLSWORTH
Driving School in Ellsworth, Maine
The gateway to Acadia, and the traffic that comes with it
Driver education, private road-test preparation and senior driving evaluations in Ellsworth. Classes are held at the Bryant Moore Community and Conference Center on State Street, and lessons work Route 1, Route 1A and the Route 3 corridor every Ellsworth driver has to negotiate in summer.
- State-approved curriculum
- Eligible from age 15
- Test in our vehicles
$580
Full driver ed course
15
Minimum age by first class
70 hrs
Supervised driving you will log
2–3 days
Typical private lesson booking
LOCAL ROAD KNOWLEDGE
Learning to drive in Ellsworth is its own skill set
Every town drives differently. Ellsworth has its own corridors, its own seasonal patterns and its own pressure points, and a student who only practises in an empty lot is not ready for any of it. Here is what we actually coach Ellsworth students through.
Route 3 to Acadia
Route 3 between Ellsworth and Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor was ranked the twentieth-worst summer traffic bottleneck in the country in a 2025 report by AAA, the American Highway Users Alliance and TRIP. Learning to drive here means learning to drive that. We teach it deliberately.
Route 1 through town
US Route 1 carries both local traffic and the full seasonal flow toward Down East Maine. Speed differentials between through traffic and turning traffic are the defining hazard in Ellsworth.
Route 1A toward Bangor
Route 1A is the main link to Brewer and Bangor and has been rebuilt in sections over the years. It mixes open highway with commercial frontage, and students need to read which one they are in.
Seasonal traffic swings
Ellsworth in February and Ellsworth in July are different driving environments on the same roads. We teach students to re-read a familiar road rather than drive it from memory.
Downtown and Oak Street
The downtown grid concentrates pedestrians, parking manoeuvres and tight turns. Low speed, high attention, and exactly the kind of driving a road test examiner wants to see done calmly.
ELLSWORTH CLASS LOCATION
Where you will actually be
Classes in Ellsworth are held at the Bryant Moore Community and Conference Center, 125 State Street, Ellsworth, ME. We do not keep a separate office at this location, so registration and enquiries are handled through our main line.
Where classes are held
Bryant Moore Community and Conference Center, 125 State Street, Ellsworth, ME.
Behind-the-wheel coverage
Lessons and road-test preparation run on Ellsworth roads, including State Street, High Street, Route 1 and the Route 1A approach.
Licensing and road tests
Driver licensing for this region is handled through the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Call 207-942-1319 for the Bangor branch at 396 Griffin Road, Suite 202, to confirm road test scheduling, or ask us and we will point you to the right branch.
Road test in a car you know
Students may take the State of Maine road test in a Beal Driving Academy vehicle, which removes the unfamiliar-car variable on exam day.
WHAT WE OFFER ELLSWORTH DRIVERS
Three ways we get Ellsworth drivers licensed and confident
Whether you are a 15-year-old starting driver education, an adult who needs road-test practice, or a family checking on an aging parent’s driving, there is a track for you.
Driver Education
The complete state-approved course for new drivers, combining classroom instruction with behind-the-wheel training. You must be 15 by the day of the first class. $580 all in, with a staged payment schedule.
Private Lessons & Road Test Prep
One-on-one instruction for anyone holding a valid permit or licence. We find the specific habits costing you the test and fix them. Appointments usually within two to three business days.
Senior Driving Evaluations
An objective, private assessment of physical, decision-making and social driving skills. Most evaluations end with minor adjustments, not a lost licence.
MAINE LICENSING PATH
The path from permit to licence
Maine uses a three-step graduated licensing system for drivers under 18. Ellsworth students complete driver education at 15, hold a permit for six months if under 21, log at least 70 supervised hours with 10 after dark, then take the road test.
- Driver education from age 15
- Permit held six months if under 21
- 70 supervised hours, 10 of them at night
- Road test in a car you trained in
$580
Complete driver education course
No surprise pricing
Most driving schools in the area will not publish a number. Here is ours, with exactly when each portion is due.
- $180 deposit to hold your seat — non-refundable, credited toward the total
- $200 due before the first day of class
- $200 due before the final day of class
- $580 total course cost
- Road test fee is separate: $40 with AAA membership, $50 without
ELLSWORTH QUESTIONS
Questions Ellsworth families ask us
Classes in Ellsworth are held at the Bryant Moore Community and Conference Center, 125 State Street, Ellsworth, ME. We do not keep a separate office at this location, so registration and enquiries are handled through our main line.
Lessons and road-test preparation routinely use State Street, High Street, Route 1 and the Route 1A approach, along with the corridors described above. We deliberately practise the roads you will drive after you are licensed.
Your child must be 15 years old by the day of the first class. In Maine, completing an approved driver education course is what makes a 15-year-old eligible to apply for a learner’s permit.
The complete course is $580. A $180 non-refundable deposit holds your seat and is credited toward the total, $200 is due before the first day of class, and the remaining $200 before the final day. The road test fee is separate: $40 with AAA membership, $50 without.
Yes. Ellsworth sees genuine Northeast winters, and we work on following distance, braking on reduced traction and skid recovery as conditions allow during your lesson window.
Ready to get your Ellsworth driver on the road?
Seats in each driver education course are limited and held in the order deposits come in. Reserve now, or call and we will tell you honestly which upcoming session is the best fit.
Beal Driving Academy · Bryant Moore Community and Conference Center, 125 State Street, Ellsworth, ME · Serving Ellsworth and Hancock County