It varies state-to-state. I grew up in Florida, where I started learning to drive at age 14. I was taught entirely by my mother, and I earned my learner's per

It varies state-to-state. I grew up in Florida, where I started learning to drive at age 14. I was taught entirely by my mother, and I earned my learner's permit at 15, then was fully licensed at 16 after passing the tests. About five months after I was issued my driver's license by the state of Florida, we moved to North Carolina, where driver's education is compulsory for people under 18. They would not issue me a North Carolina driver's license unless I completed driver's ed., even though I was already licensed in the state of Florida. As a result, I enrolled in driver's ed. via my high school. Classes took place in the afternoon after all my regular classes were finished. Then, while my classmates were waiting for their rides, I got in my car and drove myself home. For the on-road portion of the coursework, I drove myself to and from the school on Saturday mornings and hopped in the "Student Driver" car. My instructor, knowing I already knew how to drive pretty well, just had me drive him on his errands -- grab a coffee at McDonald's, return some tapes to Blockbuster, deposit his paycheck at the bank, etc. It was bullshit, but I had to do it to obtain an NC driver's license. Of course, after college I moved to northern Virginia for work, and getting my VA license was as easy as filling out a form and showing them my NC license. Done! The VA DMV puts the NC DMV to shame in many ways, including efficiency. (In NC, we also have separate DMV offices for licenses and tags. Pain in the ass!)