Drive to Succeed scholarship helps Holmes County teens pay for driver training
Drive to Succeed can help Holmes County teens cover driver ed bills that average $400 to $700, with scholarships open to Ohio residents ages 15½ to 20.
A driver’s license can decide whether a Holmes County teen gets to an after-school job, a church activity or a class across town. The Drive to Succeed scholarship program is again helping pay for driver education, which in Ohio has averaged about $400 to $700, and East Central Ohio Educational Service Center is one of four service centers statewide sharing $1.5 million over two years for that purpose.
The Ohio Traffic Safety Office announced $6 million in driver-training grant funding for 2026 on June 10, with the money expected to support scholarships for more than 10,000 Ohio driving students across all 88 counties. In Holmes County and the surrounding region, the program is open to Ohio residents ages 15½ to 20 in Holmes, Wayne, Tuscarawas, Coshocton, Carroll, Harrison and Knox counties.
East Central Ohio ESC says its teen driver classes include 24 hours of classroom training and 8 hours of behind-the-wheel lessons. The service center also says students can complete the classroom work in person or online, a detail that matters in a county where broadband access is uneven and families often juggle work, school and farm schedules. Holmes County’s broadband subscription rate is 63.5%, according to the latest figures, and 29.9% of residents are under age 18.
The local need is straightforward. Holmes County had an estimated population of 44,970 as of July 1, 2025, spread across 422.6 square miles, and transportation often stretches across several towns for school, sports, church and jobs. Only 11.1% of adults age 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, which makes practical access to training and work more important for many families trying to keep teenagers on track for the next step.
Researchers have found that young rural drivers in Ohio tend to get their first licenses earlier than young urban drivers, and they have treated access to driver education as a mobility equity issue. Gov. Mike DeWine said driving “opens doors to jobs, school, and so many aspects of daily life,” a description that fits Holmes County as much as anywhere else. Under Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles rules, teens still move through a permit and graduated licensing process, so driver education is more than a convenience for many families.
Applications are available through the Drive to Succeed website, and families can contact Trudy Lewis at East Central Ohio ESC for more information. For Holmes County teens, the scholarship can help turn driver training from a budget strain into a practical path toward work, school and independence.
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