Am I required to obtain a student license before a sport, recreational, or private one? I want to double check if my first step in obtaining a sport, recreational, or private license is to obtain a student license.  I'm assuming student license always comes first, but want to make sure.  :-)

I want to make sure that isn't a less expensive way to go than this -- jumping into a more intensive program to go "straight" to the higher level licenses.  Want to make sure getting a student license first doesn't financially waste some of the classes, training, or flight hours you pay for -- by them not counting toward the higher level licenses -- where if you had done it differently you would have saved money.

I'm not talking about less learning, just how it's done.  (Making sure high enough licensed instructors, right classes, etc.)

As an addition... Do you jump through student, sport, recreational, to private?  Or, do you go from student which whichever of these you want?
A student pilot certificate is just a medical certificate printed on yellow paper instead of white paper and with endorsement templates for soloing printed on the back.  Other than that presentation difference it is no different than the medical exam a certificated pilot takes for whatever class medical you apply for.  The fee for this varies by examiner and may set you back $75 or so, but that (and being able to pass a medical) is the only barrier to entry.  There is no flight training or knowledge requirement to get this certificate.

Once you have a student pilot certificate / medical you have one of the requirements to solo and can train directly for any of the sport, recreational or private pilot certificates.  You'll want to focus on sport or private training, as pretty much no one pursues recreational certificates.