Do You Need Driver's Education in Kansas?
Last updated 2026-08-03
Required for a 15-year-old, optional at 16
A 15-year-old applying for a Kansas Restricted License must have completed an approved driver's education course, in addition to 25 hours of supervised driving. A 16-year-old applying for the same license class is not required to have completed driver's education -- their path instead requires 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at night.
This means the practical decision point for most Kansas families is timing: complete driver's education and apply at 15 with fewer supervised-driving hours required, or skip it and simply wait until 16 with more hours logged instead.
Not every driver's education course qualifies
Kansas is specific about which driver's education programs it accepts. Online-only courses do not meet the state's requirements, no matter how the content is structured -- a certificate of completion from an internet-based program will not be accepted for licensure.
The only qualifying programs are those offered through an accredited local school district approved by the Department of Education, or an approved private driving school offering at least 8 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction.
The DE-99 completion slip matters beyond just the course itself
Completing an approved course generates a DE-99 completion slip, which can substitute for parts of the licensing process -- the handbook repeatedly notes it can be brought in instead of separately passing the vision, written, or driving exam requirement at several stages, including the Instruction Permit, Restricted License, and Unrestricted License applications.
Keep this document even after you've moved past the license stage it was originally used for -- it can still be relevant at a later renewal or license-class change, and replacing a lost one may require going back through your original driver's education provider.
It doesn't remove the supervised-driving requirement
Completing driver's education satisfies its own specific requirement, but it doesn't substitute for logging supervised driving hours. A 15-year-old still needs 25 hours of supervised driving on top of the course, and both 16-year-old Restricted License applicants and under-18 Unrestricted License applicants need their own hour totals (50 hours, including 10 at night) regardless of driver's education status.
In other words, driver's education and supervised driving hours are two separate, independently tracked requirements in Kansas -- completing one doesn't reduce what's owed on the other.
Adults generally don't need it at all
For an applicant who is 18 or older applying for a first Kansas license, the handbook doesn't describe a driver's education requirement -- the age-based driver's education and supervised-hours rules apply specifically to applicants who are still minors. An adult first-time applicant still must pass the vision, written, and driving tests, but not a formal education course.
This is worth knowing if you're helping an adult family member -- a new resident, for example -- get their first license: the driver's education requirements that dominate most of this guide simply don't apply to them.
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More Kansas Guides
- How Long Is a Kansas Instruction Permit Valid?
- How Kansas's Graduated Driver Licensing System Works
- What to Bring to Your Kansas Permit Test Appointment
- What Happens If You Fail the Kansas Knowledge Test?
Rules and requirements change — always confirm current details with Kansas DOR before your exam. Check the full guides index or the Kansas cheat sheet and FAQ, or take a free Kansas practice test.