Donny D. has been a fabulous driving instructor for my daughter. He has made her feel comfortable and confident from the first lesson on. Highly recommend him to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed when... See more
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Coastline Academy is the largest driving school in the country and the 6th fastest-growing education company in America according to Inc.com. Coastline was founded with the mission of eradicating car crashes and has provided top-quality education to over 250,000 driving students across 500+ cities, receiving a 98% 5-star rating. The company combines modern technology with rigorous safety standards to deliver a learning experience that is personalized, safe, and efficient.
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My teacher was Lysset C. She’s an amazing teacher. Very patient and very knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend!

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Super easy process. Richard was nice and explained the process.

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Patrice was amazing! She made me feel so comfortable and calm. Wouldn’t be able to do it without her.

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Donny D. has been a fabulous driving instructor for my daughter. He has made her feel comfortable and confident from the first lesson on. Highly recommend him to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed when it comes to teaching your teen to drive.

Reply from Coastline Academy
Rhonda is amazing instructor! I highly recommend!

Reply from Coastline Academy
Russel C. was very kind and understanding, I highly recommend this driving instructor.

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I learned so much from listening to Rhonda's directions despite being nervous with getting behind the wheel she taught me well with deep breathing and taking my time as I was properly operating the vehicle and I'm not only grateful for being instructed by her but I look forward to her instructing me in the next driving lesson.

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Learned a lot, had a great time, and came out more confident :)

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Our instructor (Mark L.) was fantastic. Prompt, professional and very kind.

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My experience with Coastline’s Fort Worth location was unacceptable and, at times, unsafe.
One instructor (“Coach K” / JL) consistently used an aggressive, raised tone and created an unnecessarily intimidating environment. More seriously, there was physical interference while I was driving - my leg was pushed to force acceleration on the gas pedal. That is a blatant safety issue and should never happen in a driver training setting.
That is a serious safety concern and should never happen in a driver training setting. I was also given inconsistent and questionable guidance, including being told to accelerate during turns.
During my road test, the issues continued but with a different examiner, Patricia. I was given confusing instructions near a traffic light, which created an unsafe and unclear situation. I was then marked as driving in the wrong lane - an allegation I strongly dispute, as I did not drive in the wrong lane at any point.
What makes this worse is how the situation was handled afterward. I was never informed that I was being recorded during lessons or testing. Only after raising concerns did they acknowledge recordings exist, yet they refused to provide access and instead offered only an internal “summary.” That is not transparency - it is a one-sided process with no accountability.
While I did have positive experiences with a few other instructors, that only highlights the inconsistency in standards at this location.
Between unsafe instruction, physical interference during driving, a disputed road test evaluation, and a lack of transparency around recordings, this experience raises serious concerns. I would strongly caution others before choosing this location until these issues are properly addressed.

Reply from Coastline Academy
Greg H. was a fantastic instructor. He guided when necessary and I felt comfortable the whole time. He also had a lot of funny stories so that made the time entertaining. I also got to go by the beach which was awesome. Thanks Greg, 5 stars for sure.

Reply from Coastline Academy
I cannot book driving lessons. Was told that there was just an "influx of students" and I should sign up to get alerts. For the price I pay--I feel that I should be able to get lessons and not have to watch like a hawk for available times. Additionally, the customer service is slow to respond and inaccurate. For my first child I got several different inaccurate response to the very simple question of how many lessons he still needed to pass the certificate to the DMV...for my second child, I couldn't get them to really help at all.

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My teen had a great experience and really enjoyed Matthew as a teacher.

Reply from Coastline Academy
I strongly caution anyone considering this driving school, especially the Fort Worth location. What I experienced was not just poor instruction, but a pattern that felt predatory, unsafe, and deeply unprofessional.
I initially booked 10 hours behind the wheel (five 2-hour lessons) and had three solid instructors, Charles, Victor, and Gator, all of whom indicated I was ready for my road test. However, just before my scheduled test, a different instructor suddenly claimed I was “not ready,” directly contradicting the previous day’s feedback. She suggested I reschedule the test (knowing it would cost $100) and pushed me to book five additional lessons for another $1,000. This completely undermined my confidence right before the exam.
She then strongly recommended a 1-hour prep session with “Coach K,” who was also supposed to be my examiner. This turned out to be the worst decision I made.
During that session, his behavior was unacceptable:
1. He introduced arbitrary and unnecessary rules, such as restricting hand placement on the steering wheel to four exact points, claiming I would fail otherwise. He rushed through this without allowing time to process and immediately escalated to yelling.
2. He repeatedly instructed me to press the gas during turns, which directly contradicted prior instruction and is unsafe.
3. He physically pushed my knee down to force me to accelerate, which caused the vehicle to lose control. This is completely inappropriate and should never happen.
4. He continued yelling and pressuring me throughout, saying I would fail if I did not follow his commands. This pressure contributed to me hitting the curb, which he then used as justification to fail me.
Immediately after failing me, his tone changed. He encouraged me to book another 2-hour session and a retest with him the following week, clearly pushing additional paid sessions.
Unfortunately, it got worse:
In the follow-up 2-hour lesson, he escalated the same behavior - constant yelling, continued physical interference (pushing my knee), and forcing unsafe driving techniques such as accelerating into turns.
At one point, he was yelling “gas” while simultaneously applying the brake himself.
He again pressured me to reschedule my test (another $100 fee) and book more lessons.
At this point, I spoke with others who confirmed this was not normal. I reported the experience to the academy and requested a different examiner. Shortly after, my test was reassigned, but it was clear the examiners communicate closely.
The second examiner, Patrice, appeared hostile from the start. During the test:
1. She claimed I did not perform proper shoulder checks (SMOG), which I did - I clearly looked over my shoulders every single time, this comes naturally to me.
2. She criticized my parallel parking, stating the tire should be on the red line rather than 6 inches inside, contradicting all prior instruction.
3. She claimed I failed to check over my shoulder during a lane change, which was inaccurate - I did check over my shoulder.
4. Near a red light, she instructed me to change lanes at the last moment, creating a confusing and unsafe situation.
5. Ultimately, she failed me for “driving in the wrong lane,” which is simply not accurate.
By this point, it felt predetermined.
In total, I spent nearly $1,500, was put in unsafe situations, and had my confidence significantly impacted. This experience raises serious concerns about:
1. Unsafe instruction practices
2. Physical interference during driving
3. Pressure to purchase additional lessons
4. Potential bias in testing
I strongly recommend that oversight authorities such as the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation look into this location and require in-car cameras during instruction and testing to ensure accountability.
This is not just about money, it’s about safety and fairness. No student should be put in this position.

Reply from Coastline Academy
I had an excellent experience with Coastline driving school Fort Worth and especially with my instructor. From the very beginning, everything was handled in a highly professional manner, which immediately put me at ease.
My instructor is very experienced and knowledgeable, and his guidance throughout my lessons was truly invaluable. He created a calm and supportive environment, never making me feel nervous or pressured, which helped me build my confidence behind the wheel.
It was also very clear that he is an exceptionally skilled and experienced driver, and his ability to teach in such a patient and reassuring way made all the difference.
I would highly recommend this driving school to anyone looking for professional, high-quality instruction. It was a fantastic experience, and I’m truly grateful for the support and expertise I received.

Reply from Coastline Academy
Gerald H is such a cool instructor. He noticed I had some confusion and he corrected me in a way that didnt make me feel bad. When he was correcting me, he had some humor. He’s a very fun instructor and I hope somebody gets him as an instructor.

Reply from Coastline Academy
Had an awesome first lesson with Stephen D. today. He pushed me in a good way because he saw that I was capable. I drove on the highway for the first time and reverse parallel parked. Stephen was kind, patient, and confident. He put me at ease and was great at explaining road rules, maneuvers, and test expectations. Thanks Stephen!

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