Driving is a big step toward independence, and driver’s education is a big step toward driving well. At Carroll Watkins, we strive to teach soon-to-be drivers the best and smartest ways to drive through classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel lessons. We are a family run business that has taught young drivers for over 40 years.
Reviews
Audrey
8 May 2025
REPORT
EXTREMELY hard to get a drive time appointment. i have tried for MONTHS. the availability is super limited and really only caters to students who go to an in person school, so the slots fill up extrem... Read More
EXTREMELY hard to get a drive time appointment. i have tried for MONTHS. the availability is super limited and really only caters to students who go to an in person school, so the slots fill up extremely fast. it’s also hard to get a hold of them. you will call, and it’ll ring until it goes to voice mail. also when you do get an appointment, the instructor doesn’t teach anything. they just say “you did that wrong” and not tell you how to improve. i have been struggling to get in since beginning of 2024. make more times available for driving!!! Read Less
Jaida mitchener
21 Sep 2024
REPORT
Absolutely recommend! The owner is so sweet & he took the time to teach me himself. Loved hearing his different stories every lesson & he’s very kind. He’s a conversational man, makes learning fun, an... Read More
Absolutely recommend! The owner is so sweet & he took the time to teach me himself. Loved hearing his different stories every lesson & he’s very kind. He’s a conversational man, makes learning fun, and removes your anxiety while driving! Would take the class all over again if i could lol Read Less
Nastassia Persaud
21 Sep 2024
REPORT
As a parent, our teen kiddos driving can be nerve wracking. We are new to the state and I was looking for a few additional classes for my daughter, on top of our parent taught driving sessions. I am s... Read More
As a parent, our teen kiddos driving can be nerve wracking. We are new to the state and I was looking for a few additional classes for my daughter, on top of our parent taught driving sessions. I am so very happy we chose CWDS! The owner is such a wonderful instructor and person. My daughter really enjoyed her classes and how friendly, professional, and flexible Jim was. We will be using services again. She passed her test with flying colors and this Mama is a little less nervous with her being on the road. I highly recommend!!! Courtney at the desk is the sweetest as well. ❤️ Read Less
Loran and Alisha Weatherford
11 Jan 2024
REPORT
I HIGHLY recommend this driver’s school. I’m going to lay it out for the people in search and going through having a teenage driver.
First off our son is on the spectrum so they did really well with ... Read More
I HIGHLY recommend this driver’s school. I’m going to lay it out for the people in search and going through having a teenage driver.
First off our son is on the spectrum so they did really well with him and understanding.
The lady at the front desk is A+ she has the answer to every question and you will have a lot of questions. It’s much different than when I got my license; the state requires more now.
So the online driving course was helpful and my son did fine with it and passed.
The school is affordable and allows payment plans (very generous).
Now scheduling a driving lesson can be challenging. They release at 5:00 pm on Wednesdays so set your alarm to get a spot for your teen. There is an older gentleman that takes them out in a Kia soul car and he shoots it straight and he will make you redo a driving lesson if you don’t do well. My son had to redo his last lesson, but that’s because everything is harder for our son.
I recommend not having your teen take the drivers test at the DPS. They are rude and will fail ya for small things. I suggest taking the DPS test down the road at Community Driving School 5200 N Tarrant. You can practice the course with your teen like we did. We drove the course over and over the night before his test and this helped him pass. They are more lenient and forgiving and allow more tries with parallel parking and are honest.
Make sure you don’t open the sealed envelope they give you when taking the drivers test. Always have ALL of your documents and more for DPS appointments. Always schedule your DPS appointments months in advance and look at all locations. They book quick! Read Less
Andrew Kautz
8 Jan 2022
REPORT
The instructor talked WAY too much and only 10% of it was about actual driving. It took about 30 minutes to even start the car and be on our way because we were entertained with personal stories rathe... Read More
The instructor talked WAY too much and only 10% of it was about actual driving. It took about 30 minutes to even start the car and be on our way because we were entertained with personal stories rather than anything important to the car or the road. Very nice guy but talks more about the good old days rather than about driving. Very hard to focus. If I were you, I'd choose a different school or simply learn with my parents who are less likely to talk about anything but driving. Read Less
Reagan Wilson
4 Jun 2018
REPORT
Love this place! Now both my kids have went here and came out with great driving skills! The staff here are great! Definitely recommend to kiddos getting their permits to start on the driving journey!
Kelly Knapp
2 Jun 2018
REPORT
Helped my daughter pass the permit test and only missed 2! Very thankful!
Ann Marie Collins
11 May 2018
REPORT
Can’t EVER GET IN FOR A DRIVE TIME!!!!!! Ever! Ever! Ever! I’ve tried to get a drive time every week for a year and a half! She got 2 drive times in. She needs 5 more so she can get her completion. ... Read More
Can’t EVER GET IN FOR A DRIVE TIME!!!!!! Ever! Ever! Ever! I’ve tried to get a drive time every week for a year and a half! She got 2 drive times in. She needs 5 more so she can get her completion. I wanted to set every Monday at 4pm for 7weeks starting August 2016 and now it’s may 2018 and still can’t get in. After complaining for the first 6months I’ve giving up! Plus I’ve taught my own child to drive and parallel park. DONT TAKE YOUR KIDS HERE. ... Two years they have had sheets up in the windows. So appealing. See More Read Less
Michaela Ottino
2 Apr 2018
REPORT
Excellent service and old fashioned principles. Instructors were knowledgeable and took their jobs seriously and office staff were friendly and helpful. I took class in January and passed my driving t... Read More
Excellent service and old fashioned principles. Instructors were knowledgeable and took their jobs seriously and office staff were friendly and helpful. I took class in January and passed my driving test with flying colors in August of the same year. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone looking to have a thorough and in depth drivers education experience. Read Less
Marc Hernandez
2 Dec 2017
REPORT
Our second child is now going through this program. I appreciate that the instructors address the responsibility of driving very seriously with parents and the kids. They prepare students to get the d... Read More
Our second child is now going through this program. I appreciate that the instructors address the responsibility of driving very seriously with parents and the kids. They prepare students to get the driver’s permit within the first week, which allows them to start practicing with a parent immediately. Scheduling drive times isn’t a big deal if you enroll your child right after they turn 15. That helps you spread out the drive times, and be more confident they’ve practiced enough with you before releasing them to drive amongst the rest of us! Read Less
Kenneth Ottino
27 Oct 2017
REPORT
Great experience! Thankful that the instructors take their job seriously and expect the students to do the same. If your kid is a slacker, or you are a helicopter parent you shouldn't let them be dr... Read More
Great experience! Thankful that the instructors take their job seriously and expect the students to do the same. If your kid is a slacker, or you are a helicopter parent you shouldn't let them be driving. Read Less
Dia Ndumbe
22 Jan 2017
REPORT
i aint even been at the place but I hear that its live
Elva Piper
27 Sep 2016
REPORT
My special needs daughter is going to this school and the instructor is awesome. She has slowed her pace down and we are working together to get her through the program. She has learned a lot and is a... Read More
My special needs daughter is going to this school and the instructor is awesome. She has slowed her pace down and we are working together to get her through the program. She has learned a lot and is actually retaining it all. So proud of her and feel the school is awesome with strict rules and old fashioned parenting !!! It takes a village and they are definitely apart of mine !!!Read Less
Andrew Hillas
1 Jul 2016
REPORT
Could not schedule a lesson for my spouse by phone. We were told to make an appointment at the office, but not at what time. The next morning, we took an hour from work to make the appointment, only t... Read More
Could not schedule a lesson for my spouse by phone. We were told to make an appointment at the office, but not at what time. The next morning, we took an hour from work to make the appointment, only to be told that the secretary would not be there until 10am and that they were understaffed. Considering we will have to take time from work for the lesson and the test, we should not have to mess with getting something scheduled. Read Less
D Patterson
14 Jan 2016
REPORT
Tried to see up some test prep for my son and the gentleman I spoke with said he would put it on the calendar.but then forgot.
G Harris
29 May 2013
REPORT
The class was good but that was just the 1st week. My son is trying to finish up the scheduled drives. They push way too many students through the class and do not have anough drivers to accomodate ... Read More
The class was good but that was just the 1st week. My son is trying to finish up the scheduled drives. They push way too many students through the class and do not have anough drivers to accomodate the scheduled drives. We have struggled getting drive times scheduled. they post each Tuesday night at 7pm and they fill in less than 5mn. Very hard to get the drives completed unless you are doing them over the summer or during Christmas break. I called them directly several times and they know this is a problem and has been for quite some time. They don't really care. They acknowledge that they need to hire more drivers for more times, but I was told they just haven't gotten around to it. Sadthing is once you take the classroom portion, you ahve to compelte the drive times with them. They have your money and don't really want to increase any costs by adding more drivers. If I would ahve know this back last AUgust when my son went through the class, I would have put him in another driving school or just compelted the parent taught version for free. Lst time I called I was told they are not limiting the class enrollees and they are not adding drivers.Read Less
harrisgdh
28 May 2013
REPORT
Class room portion is fine, but they pack the room wall to wall with students. They accept way more students than they can accomodate driving time for. They post a 1 week schedule each Tuesday and t... Read More
Class room portion is fine, but they pack the room wall to wall with students. They accept way more students than they can accomodate driving time for. They post a 1 week schedule each Tuesday and the times fill up in less than 5 minutes. We are now almost to his birthday and he still needs to drive sessions. I have called several times and they aknowledge that they do not ahve enough drivers and that this has been a long standing problem during the 9 months of the school year. They are not looking to hire more drivers or solve the problem. Their repsonse was people can just catch up during the summer months. I called in May and discussed that we have struggled for the last 6 months and the owner's response was, "You should have scheduled a dirving session the week of Christmas. I had to send drivers home that week." ???? If I had known how big a problem getting a drive time was, I would have sent my son to a different school or gone the parent taught route. Word to the wise - ask about their drivers and drive tiem availability before giving them your money. Read Less
robzonie
29 Feb 2012
REPORT
A little expensive, not very convenient. Biggest complaint is that drive times (two hours at a time) can only be scheduled once every 13 days during the school year. Our teen needs 7 hours so it wil... Read More
A little expensive, not very convenient. Biggest complaint is that drive times (two hours at a time) can only be scheduled once every 13 days during the school year. Our teen needs 7 hours so it will take two months to complete her driving requirement. Frankly, she has learned more on her own with the license manual and from her parents. She hasn't learned how to drive, but her instructor has told enough horror stories that now she doesn't want to. Not a completely bad experience, but FAR from a good one. For what they charge, it should be a stellar experience! Read Less
Driving is a big step toward independence, and driver’s education is a big step toward driving well. At Carroll Watkins, we strive to teach soon-to-be drivers the best and smartest ways to drive through classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel lessons. We are a family run business that has taught young drivers for over 40 years.
EXTREMELY hard to get a drive time appointment. i have tried for MONTHS. the availability is super limited and really only caters to students who go to an in person school, so the slots fill up extrem... Read More
EXTREMELY hard to get a drive time appointment. i have tried for MONTHS. the availability is super limited and really only caters to students who go to an in person school, so the slots fill up extremely fast. it’s also hard to get a hold of them. you will call, and it’ll ring until it goes to voice mail. also when you do get an appointment, the instructor doesn’t teach anything. they just say “you did that wrong” and not tell you how to improve. i have been struggling to get in since beginning of 2024. make more times available for driving!!! Read Less
Jaida mitchener
21 Sep 2024
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Absolutely recommend! The owner is so sweet & he took the time to teach me himself. Loved hearing his different stories every lesson & he’s very kind. He’s a conversational man, makes learning fun, an... Read More
Absolutely recommend! The owner is so sweet & he took the time to teach me himself. Loved hearing his different stories every lesson & he’s very kind. He’s a conversational man, makes learning fun, and removes your anxiety while driving! Would take the class all over again if i could lol Read Less
Nastassia Persaud
21 Sep 2024
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
As a parent, our teen kiddos driving can be nerve wracking. We are new to the state and I was looking for a few additional classes for my daughter, on top of our parent taught driving sessions. I am s... Read More
As a parent, our teen kiddos driving can be nerve wracking. We are new to the state and I was looking for a few additional classes for my daughter, on top of our parent taught driving sessions. I am so very happy we chose CWDS! The owner is such a wonderful instructor and person. My daughter really enjoyed her classes and how friendly, professional, and flexible Jim was. We will be using services again. She passed her test with flying colors and this Mama is a little less nervous with her being on the road. I highly recommend!!! Courtney at the desk is the sweetest as well. ❤️ Read Less
Loran and Alisha Weatherford
11 Jan 2024
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
I HIGHLY recommend this driver’s school. I’m going to lay it out for the people in search and going through having a teenage driver.
First off our son is on the spectrum so they did really well with ... Read More
I HIGHLY recommend this driver’s school. I’m going to lay it out for the people in search and going through having a teenage driver.
First off our son is on the spectrum so they did really well with him and understanding.
The lady at the front desk is A+ she has the answer to every question and you will have a lot of questions. It’s much different than when I got my license; the state requires more now.
So the online driving course was helpful and my son did fine with it and passed.
The school is affordable and allows payment plans (very generous).
Now scheduling a driving lesson can be challenging. They release at 5:00 pm on Wednesdays so set your alarm to get a spot for your teen. There is an older gentleman that takes them out in a Kia soul car and he shoots it straight and he will make you redo a driving lesson if you don’t do well. My son had to redo his last lesson, but that’s because everything is harder for our son.
I recommend not having your teen take the drivers test at the DPS. They are rude and will fail ya for small things. I suggest taking the DPS test down the road at Community Driving School 5200 N Tarrant. You can practice the course with your teen like we did. We drove the course over and over the night before his test and this helped him pass. They are more lenient and forgiving and allow more tries with parallel parking and are honest.
Make sure you don’t open the sealed envelope they give you when taking the drivers test. Always have ALL of your documents and more for DPS appointments. Always schedule your DPS appointments months in advance and look at all locations. They book quick! Read Less
Andrew Kautz
8 Jan 2022
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
The instructor talked WAY too much and only 10% of it was about actual driving. It took about 30 minutes to even start the car and be on our way because we were entertained with personal stories rathe... Read More
The instructor talked WAY too much and only 10% of it was about actual driving. It took about 30 minutes to even start the car and be on our way because we were entertained with personal stories rather than anything important to the car or the road. Very nice guy but talks more about the good old days rather than about driving. Very hard to focus. If I were you, I'd choose a different school or simply learn with my parents who are less likely to talk about anything but driving. Read Less
Reagan Wilson
4 Jun 2018
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Love this place! Now both my kids have went here and came out with great driving skills! The staff here are great! Definitely recommend to kiddos getting their permits to start on the driving journey!
Kelly Knapp
2 Jun 2018
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Helped my daughter pass the permit test and only missed 2! Very thankful!
Ann Marie Collins
11 May 2018
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Can’t EVER GET IN FOR A DRIVE TIME!!!!!! Ever! Ever! Ever! I’ve tried to get a drive time every week for a year and a half! She got 2 drive times in. She needs 5 more so she can get her completion. ... Read More
Can’t EVER GET IN FOR A DRIVE TIME!!!!!! Ever! Ever! Ever! I’ve tried to get a drive time every week for a year and a half! She got 2 drive times in. She needs 5 more so she can get her completion. I wanted to set every Monday at 4pm for 7weeks starting August 2016 and now it’s may 2018 and still can’t get in. After complaining for the first 6months I’ve giving up! Plus I’ve taught my own child to drive and parallel park. DONT TAKE YOUR KIDS HERE. ... Two years they have had sheets up in the windows. So appealing. See More Read Less
Michaela Ottino
2 Apr 2018
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Excellent service and old fashioned principles. Instructors were knowledgeable and took their jobs seriously and office staff were friendly and helpful. I took class in January and passed my driving t... Read More
Excellent service and old fashioned principles. Instructors were knowledgeable and took their jobs seriously and office staff were friendly and helpful. I took class in January and passed my driving test with flying colors in August of the same year. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone looking to have a thorough and in depth drivers education experience. Read Less
Marc Hernandez
2 Dec 2017
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Our second child is now going through this program. I appreciate that the instructors address the responsibility of driving very seriously with parents and the kids. They prepare students to get the d... Read More
Our second child is now going through this program. I appreciate that the instructors address the responsibility of driving very seriously with parents and the kids. They prepare students to get the driver’s permit within the first week, which allows them to start practicing with a parent immediately. Scheduling drive times isn’t a big deal if you enroll your child right after they turn 15. That helps you spread out the drive times, and be more confident they’ve practiced enough with you before releasing them to drive amongst the rest of us! Read Less
Kenneth Ottino
27 Oct 2017
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Great experience! Thankful that the instructors take their job seriously and expect the students to do the same. If your kid is a slacker, or you are a helicopter parent you shouldn't let them be dr... Read More
Great experience! Thankful that the instructors take their job seriously and expect the students to do the same. If your kid is a slacker, or you are a helicopter parent you shouldn't let them be driving. Read Less
Dia Ndumbe
22 Jan 2017
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
i aint even been at the place but I hear that its live
Elva Piper
27 Sep 2016
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
My special needs daughter is going to this school and the instructor is awesome. She has slowed her pace down and we are working together to get her through the program. She has learned a lot and is a... Read More
My special needs daughter is going to this school and the instructor is awesome. She has slowed her pace down and we are working together to get her through the program. She has learned a lot and is actually retaining it all. So proud of her and feel the school is awesome with strict rules and old fashioned parenting !!! It takes a village and they are definitely apart of mine !!!Read Less
Andrew Hillas
1 Jul 2016
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Could not schedule a lesson for my spouse by phone. We were told to make an appointment at the office, but not at what time. The next morning, we took an hour from work to make the appointment, only t... Read More
Could not schedule a lesson for my spouse by phone. We were told to make an appointment at the office, but not at what time. The next morning, we took an hour from work to make the appointment, only to be told that the secretary would not be there until 10am and that they were understaffed. Considering we will have to take time from work for the lesson and the test, we should not have to mess with getting something scheduled. Read Less
D Patterson
14 Jan 2016
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Tried to see up some test prep for my son and the gentleman I spoke with said he would put it on the calendar.but then forgot.
G Harris
29 May 2013
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
The class was good but that was just the 1st week. My son is trying to finish up the scheduled drives. They push way too many students through the class and do not have anough drivers to accomodate ... Read More
The class was good but that was just the 1st week. My son is trying to finish up the scheduled drives. They push way too many students through the class and do not have anough drivers to accomodate the scheduled drives. We have struggled getting drive times scheduled. they post each Tuesday night at 7pm and they fill in less than 5mn. Very hard to get the drives completed unless you are doing them over the summer or during Christmas break. I called them directly several times and they know this is a problem and has been for quite some time. They don't really care. They acknowledge that they need to hire more drivers for more times, but I was told they just haven't gotten around to it. Sadthing is once you take the classroom portion, you ahve to compelte the drive times with them. They have your money and don't really want to increase any costs by adding more drivers. If I would ahve know this back last AUgust when my son went through the class, I would have put him in another driving school or just compelted the parent taught version for free. Lst time I called I was told they are not limiting the class enrollees and they are not adding drivers.Read Less
harrisgdh
28 May 2013
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
Class room portion is fine, but they pack the room wall to wall with students. They accept way more students than they can accomodate driving time for. They post a 1 week schedule each Tuesday and t... Read More
Class room portion is fine, but they pack the room wall to wall with students. They accept way more students than they can accomodate driving time for. They post a 1 week schedule each Tuesday and the times fill up in less than 5 minutes. We are now almost to his birthday and he still needs to drive sessions. I have called several times and they aknowledge that they do not ahve enough drivers and that this has been a long standing problem during the 9 months of the school year. They are not looking to hire more drivers or solve the problem. Their repsonse was people can just catch up during the summer months. I called in May and discussed that we have struggled for the last 6 months and the owner's response was, "You should have scheduled a dirving session the week of Christmas. I had to send drivers home that week." ???? If I had known how big a problem getting a drive time was, I would have sent my son to a different school or gone the parent taught route. Word to the wise - ask about their drivers and drive tiem availability before giving them your money. Read Less
robzonie
29 Feb 2012
REPORT
☆☆☆☆☆
REPORT
A little expensive, not very convenient. Biggest complaint is that drive times (two hours at a time) can only be scheduled once every 13 days during the school year. Our teen needs 7 hours so it wil... Read More
A little expensive, not very convenient. Biggest complaint is that drive times (two hours at a time) can only be scheduled once every 13 days during the school year. Our teen needs 7 hours so it will take two months to complete her driving requirement. Frankly, she has learned more on her own with the license manual and from her parents. She hasn't learned how to drive, but her instructor has told enough horror stories that now she doesn't want to. Not a completely bad experience, but FAR from a good one. For what they charge, it should be a stellar experience! Read Less