Apex is terrific! Dave taught both of our teens to learn to drive (one in 2026 and one in 2024). He made the class interesting and fun with his cool sense of humor. Unlike many driving schools, he shows the direct RCWs behind the laws, and common misconceptions. The knowledge he imparted was timely, relevant and essential to their learning to be good drivers. We also really appreciated his flexibility and responsiveness; if we had a class conflict, he made other opportunities available to attend, etc. We found him to be a terrific coach in what is a serious and life-long skillset, and we're grateful that our kids had him as their teacher over the last few years. (Also: passed with flying colors!) read more

Instructor spends a lot of time talking about conspiracy theories. On and on about snow globes and flat earth. I distinctly remember him saying Hiroshima didn't really happen. Has students drive him to get food. Had me drive him to his friend's apartment and wait in the car outside while he went in to get "food" and he came out with only mayonnaise packets and ate the mayo packets by themselves. A girl at my high school had brain cancer, he had heard of this and brought it up to me. I told him I knew her personally to which he responded by advising me to tell her to stop doing chemo therapy because it doesn't work. So insensitive and uncomfortable. I don't think he should be working with kids. read more

Just finished knowledge and skills exams with the school. Dave is a patient, professional and pleasant instructor. He is generous offering extra help like term comprehension and explanation especially to those non-English speaking learners to understand the meaning of the terms. He gives advices on safe driving on the road after passing the test, as well as how to apply for drive license in this area. read more

Apex Driving School - Driving Schools Near Me - Mountlake Terrace, Washington

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He has common sense and likes to make the class feel comfortable and fun. I enjoy the class a lot.

Got my license renewed. It was an easy experience. They were not doing anything extra. Just doing what they do.

It has officially been 13 years since attending Apex Driving School. Dave not only taught me how to drive professionally (still incident free) but also equipped me with MANY tools i was able to use on a daily basis to become a better person. When I signed up for Apex i was just expecting to be able to learn how to drive but I also was able to find the inspiration to create my own business, share positive & educational messages to the greater community & make some great friends along the way. Thank you Dave. I'll be taking all my children here & continually referring anyone in need to your business. You are a breathe of fresh air in this polluted world. read more

I highly recommend APEX driving school. This is the best driving school in my opinion because I have had 2 kids go here now and I wish I had the 3rd go here as well! My daughter decided to go to another school in Shoreline because her friend said it was the best and she had gotten her license from them, I thought, ok you go ahead and do that. I can't tell you how scary it is to drive with her! she barely passed her driving test, the test person told me if she had missed one more she would have failed and she had to take her written twice and barely passed that one too! On the other hand, I had one of my son's go to APEX and he is a really good driver! We spent a lot of time with him driving as well, just like our daughter, but he really liked the class, Dave and the way the class was run. He passed his test the first try only missing 3 items on the drive test and only missed 4 questions on the written! I am looking forward to our next child getting his license as well. He is currently enrolled at APEX and Dave is a great character for the kids to relate to and they lie him! Dave teaches the Washington state RCWs the actual laws. He teaches his students the laws of the road, and he teaches how to be critical thinkers and make the best choices, so when they are faced with a snap decision on the road, they can make it with confidence, quickly and know they did the right thing! To wrap this review up I'd say if you want your child to be safe and knowledgeable on the road, Dave and APEX are the way to go, the money is worth your peace of mind and your child's life!! read more

This guy is a joke! He failed my friend only to try and get her to take driving lessons. He called her on some bs which made no sense at all. Don't waste your time or money. read more

Sadly in the state of Washington you are required to do driving school to even test for your license. Because of this when we realized how much a rip off Apex was (and how little was actually being taught) AND that Dave was touting his conspiracy theories to our daughter, we did not pull her from the class. Instead we spent many hours teacher her on the side on our own and then were terrified to find that she did not need to go to the DMV to test, but that Apex also had the ability to pass her for that. I am not sure why the DMV would allow someone who takes money for teaching to be the one to test, as I have firsthand not only seen him pass people who shouldn't be driving but also have been told by kids that they shouldn't have their license but he passed them. A neighbor moved here from another country and he passed them, I feared for his life every day because he was not ready to drive at all. Did not know the rules, the signals, nothing...yet still managed to get a license because Dave said he was good to go. Due to the requirement, he's a cheap way to get that out of the way to get your kid on the road. Don't mind putting in the hours yourself? Sure. But also be wary that during class and the drives he will play recordings indicating 9/11 was a set up, that certain people who are dead are actually alive and other people...all things I have heard as several kids from the classes thought it was so funny they started recording the crazy that was going on. Personally I think it is worth the extra $100 to go somewhere reputable. UPDATED: In response to the lengthy comment just posted on my review - this experience is not held by just myself. There was a conversation among neighbors and children who attended his class where we all had the same experience. We all discussed fearing retaliation if speaking out (from his post you can see why) and I decided it was time to say something as it is just not safe. He was reported to the DOL for a formal review of his business and all this was communicated to them as well. I do NOT have another person in Driver's Ed so I am not sure where he is getting that information from. I'm almost certain he has me confused with someone else as the student did not "warn" Dave to be careful what he said around me at all. I DID see some of the things he showed in class as I was sent Snap Chats from students in his class, none of them having to do with driving. The relevance of another country is that he needed a class to drive and wasn't familiar with the laws/roads/signs/etc. I get you're upset about 1 star review, but rather than asking that my review is removed how about you look at changing the issues I brought up? Lashing out doesn't fix the issues. I was a customer of a business, reviewed the business for the services received. read more

I picked my grandchild up from this driving school and they told me about how the instructor spent quite some time talking about covid, and how health care professionals were lying about statistics, etc. This was during the strict mask mandates and the instructor had pulled his mask down. I feel this is inappropriate, especially since my grandchild's patents are in healthcare. read more

Highly recommend Dave and Apex driving school. My wife tried another school before which shall remain nameless before Apex. At the other school the instructions and lessons were a confusing mess to my wife. With Dave at Apex he was able to identify and pinpoint my wife shortfall when it came to driving. Dave was able to clearly instruct her on what to do to overcome her shortfalls without making it confusing. His simple and powerful teaching technique was what she needed to help her gain her license. Dave is a friendly, knowledgable, and understanding instructor. I highly recommend any first time driver to take his classes, driving instructions, and test. read more

Looks can be deceiving. Yes, the building is dumpy and it's obviously a one man shop. That said, Dave does a great job. Let's face it, driver's education is like going to the dentist. It's a boring and sometimes painful task that you have to do somewhere. Well, for your money and time, this is a great little school. Dave is a character, which is a good thing because this makes the kids think and remember what he tells them. He teaches the law right out of the RCW vs. using a textbook. He also has a calm, supportive presence during the drives. Yes, he does charge extra for missed classes and drives but this is only fair. All businesses expect compensation for "no shows" especially when its extra work for them to reschedule. My daughter came home from class telling me what she learned about driving law and showing us where we were mistaken. What a far cry from the class my older daughter took that consisted of boring paperwork. This is what we want in a driving school...actual learning and remembering! Thanks, Dave! read more

Don't believe any of these reviews online. I failed for automatic violation when I took classes other driving schools and instructors told me I have good driving skills. And I took one driving skills test at another school got 74 didn't pass but at least I'm close to passing, I just forgot to turn on signals stopping twice at right turn. How is AV when I have been doing well all along in driving lessons? It doesn't make sense. read more

This place is great, I didn't go to drivers school here but I took my Drivers test and let me tell you..Dave is the best. He's a real one, super friendly and actually comes off as a person, he works with students and actually keeps it real. The lady he works with the British accents is super friendly too, I was just sitting in the place and she sparked uo a conversation with me. read more

There are very few times in life that what we buy is actually worth the money we spend on it, this is one of those times. Dave teaches the Washington state RCWs (revised code of Washington) aka the actual laws that are used in the courtroom. Not only does he teach students the laws of the road, but he teaches his students how to be critical thinkers, and make the best choices (driving or otherwise) just from being in the class you can tell Dave really cares about the wellbeing of his students. read more

We chose Apex because the price was right but ended up getting so much more. Dave is a great teacher and my student had a good time while learning. She came out with confidence as well. He's also the full meal deal, after the class is over, you can sign up with him to take the aptitude and driving test instead of doing it through the DMV. And let's face it, who really likes going to the DMV anymore than they have to. He made it easy to understand and seems to really care about the kids passing the class while doing their best. Getting your first drivers licence is such an important mile stone in a childs life and we had a positive and uplifting experience. read more

David is a great guy who REALLY helped me out! I came to him with a tight deadline and he went out of his way to fit me in for the driving tests, and at a completely reasonable price! He did his best to make sure I pass, without any kind of "cheating" or rule breaking involved. It's very obvious that he cares about his job and wants everyone to do well. read more

Great knowledgable instructor. He is very friendly and understanding. Would definitely recommend to everyone.