A-1 Driving School
Athens, Georgia
Reviews
Sara Pauff
16 Jun 2026
REPORT
Horrible customer service and unclear, unhelpful communications, and they change their "in-person" classes to Zoom at the last minute. Not worth the $600 we paid.
My husband signed our son up for the ...
Horrible customer service and unclear, unhelpful communications, and they change their "in-person" classes to Zoom at the last minute. Not worth the $600 we paid.
My husband signed our son up for the Joshua's Law Course at the Athens location. The course we were initially sold was for classroom instruction and six hours of driving time. They later changed this to Zoom classes and didn't inform us until two days before the class started. Despite the fact that making a 15-year-old sit through an eight-hour Zoom meeting every day seems like a special kind of torture, we went along with it. We set up Zoom on his computer and got him a web cam -- both my husband and I work in IT, so none of this was new to us.
However, the morning of the Zoom course, our son couldn't get into the Zoom session for class, because his name wasn't right in his profile -- the teacher wouldn't let him in as a guest, and he couldn't set up a Zoom account because Zoom requires you to be 16 to set up an account. Why is a school that offers teen driving classes using a tool that doesn't allow teenagers create accounts?
We tried to troubleshoot with our son as much as we could, but despite our IT backgrounds, we couldn't help him get in. We called the office multiple times before anyone picked up. Caree Love was rude and unhelpful when we finally got her to answer -- she seemed to not care at all that our son couldn't get into the Zoom course that he'd been trying to get into for 30 minutes. When we asked about driving time, all she would say was "It's in your email,' -- no details about what to look for. When we finally found the email, it was about student portal, with no mention of "here's how you schedule driving time." Their website is also misleading and unclear -- why advertise you offer classes in multiple locations if it's all on Zoom anyway?
If you have a teen in the Athens area and are looking to meet the Joshua's Law requirements, do not sign up A1 driving courses. There's a better one at North Oconee High School that's open to local kids and costs about the same. If we'd had known about that one before we signed up for A1, we wouldn't have wasted $600 on this incompetent business.
cierra marshall
30 Apr 2026
REPORT
Vince was a great instructor when it came to lessons and driving test. If you need lesson I recommend Vince.
Jamila Reeves-Miller
27 Dec 2025
REPORT
I took 3 lessons and the road test with a-1, and all the instructors i had were kind and patient. David Cash, Vince Edmonds, and Zalika Finch all made the learning experience easy, they were punctual ...
I took 3 lessons and the road test with a-1, and all the instructors i had were kind and patient. David Cash, Vince Edmonds, and Zalika Finch all made the learning experience easy, they were punctual and nicely sociable.
Nick Newman
26 Nov 2025
REPORT
Vance, at A1 is a fabulous instructor. He helped my son with his driving lessons, and I would recommend anyone to him. Please keep up the wonderful work.
Thanks.
Jameson Parker
17 Nov 2025
REPORT
Professor Averhart was so funny and very good at keeping the class engaged! He did a great job at teaching all of the required material.
Andy Ho
1 May 2018
REPORT
This Defensive Driving class is definitely worth it all in all. I had a strong feeling that it was going to be boring and useless because a 6 hour class on a Saturday morning does not sound fun at all...
This Defensive Driving class is definitely worth it all in all. I had a strong feeling that it was going to be boring and useless because a 6 hour class on a Saturday morning does not sound fun at all. However they teach the material and topics in an interesting way including personal stories from both the students and the instructor. I learned things there that still stick with me days and weeks after the class has ended. Nancy did a great job instructing us to be better drivers on the road and provided us with adequate breaks to help us stay focused and get through the day. Thank you Nancy and A-1 Driving; I highly recommend everyone to go here as needed.
Tracy Bucknor
17 Apr 2018
REPORT
This class is definitely worth it. I was worried it was going to be boring because a 6 hour class on a Saturday shouldn’t be fun. However Nancy teaches it material in an interesting way with personal ...
This class is definitely worth it. I was worried it was going to be boring because a 6 hour class on a Saturday shouldn’t be fun. However Nancy teaches it material in an interesting way with personal stories. I learned a few things while there. There are a good amount of breaks so you don’t feel trapped in a room.
Me Wong
9 Feb 2018
REPORT
PISS POOR EXPERINCE LIARS.
Do not use them very unreliable. How do you cancel a class and not say anything just wait for the children to show up. Then refuse to refund the money
Elizabeth Jennings
16 Nov 2017
REPORT
Nancy is wonderful! She gives helpful driving tips for being more alert on the road. Would recommend A-1 Driving School to anyone who wants a refresher of road safety and how to respond appropriately ...
Nancy is wonderful! She gives helpful driving tips for being more alert on the road. Would recommend A-1 Driving School to anyone who wants a refresher of road safety and how to respond appropriately to a dangerous situation while driving. I learned a lot of things I forgot about in driving school, and now I feel safer on the road knowing to expect the unexpected and how to react appropriately.
Casey King
25 Oct 2017
REPORT
Whether you are registering for the Driver's Ed or the DUI school I have one simple suggestion for you: make absolutely sure your instructor is Mr. Frank Fowler. Mr. Fowler made a necessary evil much...
Whether you are registering for the Driver's Ed or the DUI school I have one simple suggestion for you: make absolutely sure your instructor is Mr. Frank Fowler. Mr. Fowler made a necessary evil much less painful than it could have been by being humorous, honest, and sincere in his desire to make sure that NONE of us ever returned because of drugs or alcohol. The facility was clean, Judy was helpful and a pro at getting me registered, and overall A1 in Athens is A-1 for a dang good reason. 10/10 would recommend to anyone. Thanks, A1!
Sarah Lashley
27 Jul 2017
REPORT
Mr. Fowler's drivers ed class was wonderful. He explained everything in detail and I feel more confident about driving in the future.
Emma B
27 Jul 2017
REPORT
Mr. Frank Fowler was so nice, he really made the long few days bearable. He related to his students on a human level – he was kind and funny and managed to make the usually-dry subject enjoyable.
Seoho Kim
14 Jul 2017
REPORT
I was dubious at first because driver's education has a reputation of being notoriously dry and dull; however, my teacher here, Mr. Frank Fowler, made the experience enriching and actually fun. I can'...
I was dubious at first because driver's education has a reputation of being notoriously dry and dull; however, my teacher here, Mr. Frank Fowler, made the experience enriching and actually fun. I can't say enough about Mr. Fowler. He is not only ridiculously qualified, but he is also someone who genuinely loves teaching driver's education. His credentials are second to none, and his knowledge of driving is expansive. He's also really down-to-earth and I really felt like he cared about us and teaching us in order to make us safe, good drivers. I learned a ton from him and will implement his teachings into my own driving. If you're near Athens and you're getting your driver's education from someone other than Mr. Frank Fowler, you're seriously missing out!
Joel Moore
13 Jul 2017
REPORT
Mr. Fowler is a great teacher and I loved being in his class. He explains the material in a way you can understand it from different points. He gives great advice.
Jalen Huff
13 Jul 2017
REPORT
I really enjoyed the Drivers Ed course with Mr.Frank Fowler. He made sure each and every stupid understood the content while having a great time.
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(706) 354-4755
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A-1 Driving School
Athens, Georgia
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Reviews
Sara Pauff
16 Jun 2026
Horrible customer service and unclear, unhelpful communications, and they change their "in-person" classes to Zoom at the last minute. Not worth the $600 we paid.
My husband signed our son up for the ...
Horrible customer service and unclear, unhelpful communications, and they change their "in-person" classes to Zoom at the last minute. Not worth the $600 we paid.
My husband signed our son up for the Joshua's Law Course at the Athens location. The course we were initially sold was for classroom instruction and six hours of driving time. They later changed this to Zoom classes and didn't inform us until two days before the class started. Despite the fact that making a 15-year-old sit through an eight-hour Zoom meeting every day seems like a special kind of torture, we went along with it. We set up Zoom on his computer and got him a web cam -- both my husband and I work in IT, so none of this was new to us.
However, the morning of the Zoom course, our son couldn't get into the Zoom session for class, because his name wasn't right in his profile -- the teacher wouldn't let him in as a guest, and he couldn't set up a Zoom account because Zoom requires you to be 16 to set up an account. Why is a school that offers teen driving classes using a tool that doesn't allow teenagers create accounts?
We tried to troubleshoot with our son as much as we could, but despite our IT backgrounds, we couldn't help him get in. We called the office multiple times before anyone picked up. Caree Love was rude and unhelpful when we finally got her to answer -- she seemed to not care at all that our son couldn't get into the Zoom course that he'd been trying to get into for 30 minutes. When we asked about driving time, all she would say was "It's in your email,' -- no details about what to look for. When we finally found the email, it was about student portal, with no mention of "here's how you schedule driving time." Their website is also misleading and unclear -- why advertise you offer classes in multiple locations if it's all on Zoom anyway?
If you have a teen in the Athens area and are looking to meet the Joshua's Law requirements, do not sign up A1 driving courses. There's a better one at North Oconee High School that's open to local kids and costs about the same. If we'd had known about that one before we signed up for A1, we wouldn't have wasted $600 on this incompetent business.
cierra marshall
30 Apr 2026
Vince was a great instructor when it came to lessons and driving test. If you need lesson I recommend Vince.
Jamila Reeves-Miller
27 Dec 2025
I took 3 lessons and the road test with a-1, and all the instructors i had were kind and patient. David Cash, Vince Edmonds, and Zalika Finch all made the learning experience easy, they were punctual ...
I took 3 lessons and the road test with a-1, and all the instructors i had were kind and patient. David Cash, Vince Edmonds, and Zalika Finch all made the learning experience easy, they were punctual and nicely sociable.
Nick Newman
26 Nov 2025
Vance, at A1 is a fabulous instructor. He helped my son with his driving lessons, and I would recommend anyone to him. Please keep up the wonderful work.
Thanks.
Jameson Parker
17 Nov 2025
Professor Averhart was so funny and very good at keeping the class engaged! He did a great job at teaching all of the required material.
Andy Ho
1 May 2018
This Defensive Driving class is definitely worth it all in all. I had a strong feeling that it was going to be boring and useless because a 6 hour class on a Saturday morning does not sound fun at all...
This Defensive Driving class is definitely worth it all in all. I had a strong feeling that it was going to be boring and useless because a 6 hour class on a Saturday morning does not sound fun at all. However they teach the material and topics in an interesting way including personal stories from both the students and the instructor. I learned things there that still stick with me days and weeks after the class has ended. Nancy did a great job instructing us to be better drivers on the road and provided us with adequate breaks to help us stay focused and get through the day. Thank you Nancy and A-1 Driving; I highly recommend everyone to go here as needed.
Tracy Bucknor
17 Apr 2018
This class is definitely worth it. I was worried it was going to be boring because a 6 hour class on a Saturday shouldn’t be fun. However Nancy teaches it material in an interesting way with personal ...
This class is definitely worth it. I was worried it was going to be boring because a 6 hour class on a Saturday shouldn’t be fun. However Nancy teaches it material in an interesting way with personal stories. I learned a few things while there. There are a good amount of breaks so you don’t feel trapped in a room.
Me Wong
9 Feb 2018
PISS POOR EXPERINCE LIARS.
Do not use them very unreliable. How do you cancel a class and not say anything just wait for the children to show up. Then refuse to refund the money
Elizabeth Jennings
16 Nov 2017
Nancy is wonderful! She gives helpful driving tips for being more alert on the road. Would recommend A-1 Driving School to anyone who wants a refresher of road safety and how to respond appropriately ...
Nancy is wonderful! She gives helpful driving tips for being more alert on the road. Would recommend A-1 Driving School to anyone who wants a refresher of road safety and how to respond appropriately to a dangerous situation while driving. I learned a lot of things I forgot about in driving school, and now I feel safer on the road knowing to expect the unexpected and how to react appropriately.
Casey King
25 Oct 2017
Whether you are registering for the Driver's Ed or the DUI school I have one simple suggestion for you: make absolutely sure your instructor is Mr. Frank Fowler. Mr. Fowler made a necessary evil much...
Whether you are registering for the Driver's Ed or the DUI school I have one simple suggestion for you: make absolutely sure your instructor is Mr. Frank Fowler. Mr. Fowler made a necessary evil much less painful than it could have been by being humorous, honest, and sincere in his desire to make sure that NONE of us ever returned because of drugs or alcohol. The facility was clean, Judy was helpful and a pro at getting me registered, and overall A1 in Athens is A-1 for a dang good reason. 10/10 would recommend to anyone. Thanks, A1!
Sarah Lashley
27 Jul 2017
Mr. Fowler's drivers ed class was wonderful. He explained everything in detail and I feel more confident about driving in the future.
Emma B
27 Jul 2017
Mr. Frank Fowler was so nice, he really made the long few days bearable. He related to his students on a human level – he was kind and funny and managed to make the usually-dry subject enjoyable.
Seoho Kim
14 Jul 2017
I was dubious at first because driver's education has a reputation of being notoriously dry and dull; however, my teacher here, Mr. Frank Fowler, made the experience enriching and actually fun. I can'...
I was dubious at first because driver's education has a reputation of being notoriously dry and dull; however, my teacher here, Mr. Frank Fowler, made the experience enriching and actually fun. I can't say enough about Mr. Fowler. He is not only ridiculously qualified, but he is also someone who genuinely loves teaching driver's education. His credentials are second to none, and his knowledge of driving is expansive. He's also really down-to-earth and I really felt like he cared about us and teaching us in order to make us safe, good drivers. I learned a ton from him and will implement his teachings into my own driving. If you're near Athens and you're getting your driver's education from someone other than Mr. Frank Fowler, you're seriously missing out!
Joel Moore
13 Jul 2017
Mr. Fowler is a great teacher and I loved being in his class. He explains the material in a way you can understand it from different points. He gives great advice.
Jalen Huff
13 Jul 2017
I really enjoyed the Drivers Ed course with Mr.Frank Fowler. He made sure each and every stupid understood the content while having a great time.
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