Ries Driving School

Teaching Drivers Education For Generations! The Ries family has shaped safe drivers since 1962. Ray Ries got his start by completing the Secondary Teachers’ Driver Education program at the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. That summer, he brought Driver’s Education to Fond du Lac, teaching the first 19 students both classroom and behind-the-wheel at Goodrich High School (now Fond du Lac High School). In 1967, he launched a twenty-year career as a full-time instructor there. When Wisconsin passed a law in 1968 mandating driver’s education for everyone under 18, Ray founded Ries Driving School in 1969. He taught part-time from his basement, and the fledgling behind-the-wheel program operated with a single car: a 1969 Ford Galaxy. Family members stepped in to help wherever they could. The next generation arrived in 1986 when Ray’s son Joe became a licensed instructor through UW–Oshkosh. Joe purchased the school in 1989 and began offering full-time private instruction. In 1991, the business moved to 339 South Main Street, and in 1992 Joe hired the school’s first office manager. A remodel of that location in 1994 allowed us to extend services to Waupun and Campbellsport. Today, Ries Driving School is headquartered at 643 S Military Road and serves communities in a 40‑mile radius with both classroom and behind-the-wheel programs. Our training fleet now includes seven vehicles—a mix of Toyota Prius and Toyota Camry Hybrids—keeping us modern, safe, and efficient. In the summer of 2020, Joe’s oldest son Evan became a state‑licensed behind-the-wheel and classroom instructor through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, proudly marking the third generation of Ries family driver education.