Shield Driving Academy

Negative experience: Extremely disappointed with how unprepared my son was after completing this course. As a parent, I trusted this driving school to prepare my teenage son for his Washington DOL written test. He took it seriously—created over 80 flashcards, studied every day, and followed every instruction given by the instructors. He even gave up gaming for weeks just to focus on passing. So imagine our frustration when he sat down for the test and was blindsided by questions that were never covered in class. One question, for example, asked about how far a bicycle's rear reflector must be visible at night. Another asked for a blood alcohol level without stating the driver's age—something that drastically affects the correct answer. These are not small oversights. These are fundamental failures in curriculum design. I don’t blame the instructors directly—I'm sure they care and want students to succeed. But the management and ownership clearly aren't listening to student feedback or aligning their lessons with the real-world test. It feels like the focus is on defending their policies rather than genuinely supporting their students' success. Also concerning are reports of instructors going through unpaid training, which raises serious ethical questions about how this business is being run. TL;DR: Please—update your lessons to match the actual DOL test. Pay your instructors for their time. And stop treating concerned feedback as confrontation. My son deserved better, and so do the other students putting in the effort.

Fantastic experience: This is our second time with Shield, and was so much better than the first! Natalie was an amazing instructor both in the (virtual) classroom and on practice drives with my child. Easy to register, schedule and re-schedule if needed.

Fantastic experience: Super fun experience! Natalie was a great instructor!

Fantastic experience: My son came here for just his drive test and we had no issues. Online booking was easy and confirmation and reminder emails were sent promptly. The day of our test was a busy day in town and my son passed on his first try. The instructor was really nice and informative giving clarification on why points were lost and what should be done differently. Great alternative to taking the drive test at the DOL at the best price around. Follow the rules and you'll do great. Definitely recommend.

Fantastic experience: I had a wonderful driving experience through Shield driving academy. I so appreciate how they not only provide you with the information but set you up for success with practice kahoots before the tests and a practice drive test. I had Natalie for my classroom instructor and she is just the loveliest person! So kind and personable. She did a lovely job of making driver Ed more than a chore. I also had the pleasure of driving with her a few times and she made me feel so comfortable and relaxed. Simply a lovely lady all around. I also had the pleasure of driving with Bill! He was equally as delightful and also made me feel comfortable. He was so enjoyable to drive with and be around and is all together the person who could really get along with anyone. Robert at the office was super quick to reply to all my email questions. Had a lovely experience with the instructors and the course!

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience. Our daughter was very successful and enjoyed her experience. I look forward to enrolling my other kids.

Negative experience: Plenty of red flags with this business. From the attitude and unprofessionalism of the owners to what I understand as either illegal or shady business practices. Such as unpaid training for their instructors. Reading the responses to some of these reviews is difficult due to to unproductive effects the messages conclude with. I do believe the intent to do well and right is there, however the rigidity of their guidelines and agreements offer no flexibility of customer service or situational awareness that I feel negatively affects the community. I'm sure the instructors are good people that have a desire to teach new drivers how to properly be on the road, but the owners and management side needs to make major improvements in order to better serve their customers and create solutions vs a clearly confrontational response. TL;DR Pay your employees during training/work WITH your customers and community/present solutions in place of confrontational argument "winning" that in unprofessional and has no positive endgame.

Negative experience: Deeply disrespectful by review responses alone.

Negative experience: Update I voluntarily left the course. After starting the course, they did not inform me that English was a problem, that continuing the course was not suitable, or that they intended to make a refund. On my own initiative, I requested a refund only for the BTW courses that I would not be attending and received a payment of $50. Additionally, they mentioned that I could return to the BTW courses at any time.

Negative experience: Update: Some businesses respond to negative reviews by using the feedback to make themselves better - update their online systems to work better, provide feedback to employees who've delivered a bad experience, etc . Some even apologize for inadvertently giving customers a bad experience, and commit to doing better in the future. Others blame the customer, deny any wrongdoing, and then get people to submit bogus positive "reviews" that are obviously a) written by the same person; b) written to specifically refute issues that legitimate customers have reported; and c) an attempt to prop up a horrible review score with bogus 5-star ratings. Like the one that popped up less than a day after I submitted this review - they even used some of the same wording as my review, but changed it to be positive. And apparently it's "insulting" that I made public the horrible things Bill Morris said to my kid during his BTW lesson - yet he's the one who said them - but insulting my son in the same forum is okay. Wow. ======================================= Avoid "Shield Driving Academy" at all costs! If I could give them negative 5 stars, I would. They taught my kid next to nothing, destroyed his confidence as a driver just as he was getting started, their office staff is rude and unhelpful, and trying to schedule a behind-the-wheel session through their online system is stupidly difficult. During the intro session for parents, the lead instructor (owner?) spent 15 minutes telling us anything useful, skipped most of the info slides, then spent 45 minutes telling us why it's not their fault if our kids don't pass the test, and a bunch of stories about the times they have taken legal action against people who dared to complain. (By then, it was too late to get a refund.) During my kid's SECOND behind-the-wheel lesson, his instructor Bill Morris yelled at him repeatedly, and told him, I quote, "that was the worst 3-point turn I've seen in my entire time teaching driving" (after refusing to explain to him what a 3-point turn was, which wasn't covered in the first BTW lesson), then "if your parents tell you that you're doing okay, they are lying to you", and "your parents must be really brave if they got into the car with you behind the wheel." This was my kid's SECOND LESSON, and it destroyed his confidence. And we did more than the required practice homework. Bill Morris is also the guy who teaches the instructional class as well - my kid is a straight-A student, showed up at every class, paid attention, and passed all the in-class quizzes - yet after completing the course, didn't pass the written test. Very poor class instructor, very poor BTW teacher. This school is unfortunately one of the few options in the Snoqualmie area, but whatever you do, DO NOT enroll your kids here - do it through the high school, take them a different school in Issaquah, or teach them yourself and give them the DOL manual to study (which is what we ended up having to do after this course was over). Otherwise, you're spending ~$600 for a net negative effect. Their overall rating on Google (2.6/5) speaks for itself. Some businesses take negative feedback and use it to improve themselves - others tell their customers they are the problem instead.

Fantastic experience: If we could give Shield Driving Academy six stars we would. As adult licensed drivers, we had some questions about a particular intersection. Once we reached out to Shield Driving Academy by email we were immediately impressed. Although we are not enrolled driving students, our emails and questions were answered in a timely, relatable, and informative manner. We even received email responses on the weekend! It was readily apparent that they are generous with their time and that safe, knowledgeable drivers are their top priority. There are better drivers on the road now because of Shield Driving Academy.

Negative experience: I had a drive test once here, which was a painful piece of experience. I carefully almost did everything right but surprisedly found I failed. The reason for lost points were something like”left turn too sharp” “hesitate to turn” “right turn too off the curb” they are nitpicking. Highly recommend another driving school - May Valley Driving School in Renton. They are nice and helpful, cheaper!

Fantastic experience: I have just passed my Driving Test thanks to my Instructor Bill.He made learning to drive fun but at the same i learnt very quickly thanks to his teaching methods.Would highly recommend thanks Bill. Regards Glenn.

Fantastic experience: I would recommend Shield Driving Academy to any parents. I was very impresed and pleased how the staff replies to my email so quickly. My 16 year old loved each instructors, but mostly her driving instructor Jess Hill. He is very passionate, caring, patient and very helpful throughout all of her required lessons. My daughter completed all required lessons and ready for her written and skill tests. I am one happy parent and I'm confident she will do good and will be a responsible driver.

Fantastic experience: If you are looking for a driving school, this is the one! Instructors are firm about road rules and safety. Giving students respect for driving and making me confident that it’s graduates will be cautious, safe, and confident drivers. Each and every phone call or email question that I had was answered promptly and politely. (I was actually surprised how quickly office staff responds, even on weekends!) The instructors really do want the best for each student and push them to memorize safety rules, but also very caring and will go above and beyond to make students comfortable during their practice drives. You can take your DOL written and road tests here, which is SO convenient! The staff will work with you and your schedule and are so accommodating and helpful! Can’t recommend this driving school enough!

Negative experience: Do not trust the staff!

Fantastic experience: I would highly recommend Shield Driving Academy. I have put two children (students) through the school and have nothing positive feelings towards the organization and the employees. One student went through while it was in person and one during the COVID (on-line). The requirements were spelled out before class started. The staff followed through on the requirements and held the students accountable. The students were taught to be responsible for class and their actions. This is necessary before letting them behind the wheel. My students learned to be safe and respectful drivers. I have and will continue to recommend Shield to friends and family. I have numerous friends who have sent their children to Shield who share my opinion. Thank you Shield and keep up the great work.

Fantastic experience: I live in Sequim, out on the Olympic Peninsula and put two girls through their program all the way in Snoqualmie. So worth it! They're awesome to work with!

Positive experience: Some teaching styles and activities are a bit older but there is a lot of good information in the courses and good instructors.

Negative experience: If I could give zero stars, I would. Terrible experience. Very difficult to schedule drive times. They clearly make it hard so that you have to pay the additional $50 extension fee. The staff are incredibly rude and unhelpful. They use scare tactics (threaten the kids in the 1st class that one of them will die in a car accident) and show incredibly explicit videos of car accidents including dead people. Not a great way to build in confidence in new drivers.

Fantastic experience: Our daughter went through the class via her school. The in-person classes themselves sounded a bit boring, but honestly the instructors have to teach a lot of details which students need to memorize, so not too much of a surprise there... She had positive things to say about the driving instructor and always felt comfortable going to the driving segment, even though she herself was a bit of a nervous student driver. The driving school has always been prompt responding to my emails and the tone has been positive. And when I needed extra help and called the office, the woman there was super cheerful, knowledgeable, and helpful. Personally, I don't understand the negative feedback that people have had online with Shield Driving Academy. We're signing our son up with them and I have no concerns whatsoever.

Positive experience: Zoom classes during covid have been easy to manage and every time I have had a question (email or called) they have been quick to respond and very friendly and helpful. Their website is easy to use and we had no issue finding drives even though we are very limited on available times due to other activities and work schedules. They also did a very good job of communicating their policies and deadlines via email, the website and in classes, so there are no surprises on when drives need to be done by.

Fantastic experience: I am in my 20s, driving to me was foreign and something I thought I would never do. With the help of the owner I was able to learn how to drive comfortably and pass my driving test. I now own my dream car and couldn't be more thankful.

Negative experience: Unfortunately had to give this business at least one star to post review. It deserves none.

Negative experience: If you want to be treated rudely; this is the place to go! So I take my son to get his written driving test done at the time my wife scheduled for him. We show up 15 minutes early and there is an older man and woman in a little tiny maybe 8x20 room. The woman asks for a valid ID for my son and we both declare all we believe him to have is his permit (no picture on it). She asks for a school ASB iD card; we share that none were issued due to covid. I mention that I wasn’t aware of the necessity of an ID card and both of the shield reps state I was made aware and should have known. I DIDNT SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT, so I wasn’t aware. I wasn’t trying to attack them, was just indicating why we both showed up in the now super awkward situation trying to take a written test with no ID card. I responded again with I wasn’t aware and that I wasn’t trying to be confrontational but before I can finish they both again tell me they believe I was made aware in any literature read and throughout the scheduling process. They ASSUME I was the one who did all that...I wasn’t and that key detail wasn’t share with me by anyone including my wife. She scheduled this by phone only so it is possible she was never made aware either. Regardless, they wanted to do this blame thing instead of just simply moving on to get the job done. Anyway, so she starts asking if we have another form of ID like a passport. I was like, sure we have those. Can my wife send a picture of it since she is at home already? They look at each other and begrudgingly agree it would be so long as they can tell it is him. So I call my wife and ask her to send it. My wife confirms she wasn’t aware of the need for the ID either; unprompted. I tell her it doesn’t matter and to just get the photos of the passport sent to me. She does and I then proceed to approach the desk where the older woman is standing with NOONE else nearby. I approach to show her the picture and ask if it is sufficient. She quickly tells me to wait as she is busy and then requests I move back behind the blue line. Okay...odd but I respected the request, apologized and stepped back behind the line. Then a few moments later she agrees to let me approach the desk and I pull out my phone with the image showing and ask if she feels the photo is sufficient. She sneers at me “ I don’t know” as if I am dumb for asking the ONE person expected to review the photo and make a determination if the photo was adequate. Then she says this is is expired as if it has any bearing on whether she can make the determination of identity or not. Even their website (which I promptly looked up after the whole situation immediately prior to writing this review), indicates an expired permit or license would be acceptable. Why do these people behave like this and treat paying customers like absolute trash? Disgustingly rude people. I would NEVER encourage anyone to do business with SHIELD Driving School given my brief encounter with them. In fact, I strongly advise against it!

Negative experience: Instructor parks in in the middle of the sidewalk reading a book and gets mad if you ask him to move.

Negative experience: The online scheduling is completely messed up.....started class in January hopping to be done by March....payed for complete class and testing.....but due to not being able to schedule drives....here I am in October paying for a test, using my own car for the test....Drive to Issaquah...this place sucks....The name has changed to Shield Driving Academy....

Negative experience: The worst. This is the second time we’ve used them for driving school for my kids. They made my son make up a class that no one else had to make up due to snow....other kids went to the class for 15 minutes and released, my son didn’t go at all but had to retake class when no one else did. That put him behind with scheduling his drives and every time we called (for two months straight) there was no secretary (voicemail even said so and had an ad looking for one?!) therefore it took many calls and emails before we could get his final drives scheduled. The first written “knowledge” test is supposed to be included in the $500 we paid for the course..... if you take it within 90 days from beginning the course. Took my son to take written and tried explaining to the lady at front desk that we should not be paying due to their poor communication but she just argued with me. I gave up and paid. Definitely not taking my daughter here for instruction. Go anywhere but here unless you want to be frustrated by their lack of communication and horrible customer service. One more thought: their website is horrendous! They tell you to schedule through it and several times we were not able to do so and being no one answers their phones or emails you can’t get assistance either.

Fantastic experience: cris is great

Negative experience: My partner paid for and scheduled her drive test almost two weeks in advance and received all receipts and confirmations. When she showed up: “You aren’t scheduled, please schedule and come back.” Then it happened again another two weeks after. Absolute garbage place. No staff to assist anyone. 3/4 of the time there is nobody there. Adamantly against apologies and no measurable sympathy for days taken off work in vain due to their clerical error and lack of organizational infrastructure.

Negative experience: I had scheduled my drive test here and ended up not being able to go in and take it, we called them and let then know. When the time came to schedule it again, the website wouldn't let me. We called and they simply told us to use the website which we had already done with no luck. My permit expires next week and I've been trying to get this done without having to go into a different city, but I continue to not be able to schedule it and they continue to be no help. Very frustraighted with all of this.

Negative experience: Awful management of the company. Instructors are good. The lady running the operations of company is very disrespectful and lacks professionalism. She seems like she's overworked and has no interest in the kids or the parents. We were treated like cattle.