Afficient Academy Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $47K – $142K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Afficient Academy is a children's education franchise offering AI-powered math and English learning programs for K-12 students. Franchisees run learning centers, managing enrollment, coaching, and the online platform.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Afficient Academy franchise requires a total initial investment of $47K – $142K, including a $1K franchise fee. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored3 of 3 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $47K – $142K
- 10th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 10
- 28th pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $47K – $142K including a $1K franchise fee.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 61/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +1 franchised outlets in the latest year (1 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Afficient Academy of America, Inc.
- Parent company
- Afficient Academy, Inc. (affiliate that owns the software/IP via exclusive license)
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- President
- Dr. Jiayuan Fang
- CEO experience
- 20 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 1054 S. De Anza Blvd., Suite 201, San Jose, California
- Auditor
- CGU CPA LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $238K
- vs $207K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Dr. Jiayuan Fang
- Headquarters
- California
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 52% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $1K | $1K | |
| Training Feenot refundable | $500 | $2K | |
| Training Program Travel Expensesnot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Leased Real Estatenot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Construction & Remodelingnot refundable | $10K | $50K | |
| Equipmentnot refundable | $10K | $25K | |
| Fixturesnot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Uniforms & Incentivesnot refundable | $330 | $540 | |
| Initial Advertisingnot refundable | $2K | $5K | |
| Liability Insurancenot refundable | $300 | $500 | |
| Accounting & Legal Expensesnot refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Security & utility deposits, business licenses & other prepaid expensesnot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Additional Fundsnot refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $47K | $142K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $47K – $142K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $1K – $1K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 22% of the franchisor's posted, recommended pricing per e…
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 22.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $500 |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 22.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Afficient Academy makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Afficient Academy unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, royalty rate, ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 22.0% — above the Education median of 9.0%.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +12.5% over 3 years (1 opened, 0 closed).
Multi-unit rate
Only 17% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Education medians
How Afficient Academy Compares
Category median of published Education brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 10
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 90%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 16.7%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +12.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +12.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 20.0%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
9 current owners across 2 states.
- CA 7
- NC 2
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
A financially troubled franchisor with only 10 units, no earnings disclosure, unsustainable high royalties on franchisor-controlled pricing, and unprotected territories presents extreme operational and financial risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CGU CPA LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 61 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (average revenue/earnings) disclosed — impossible to validate ROI on $46.6k-$141.5k investment
- 02MINORExtremely high 22% royalty on 'posted, recommended pricing' creates ambiguity and potential for disputes over what constitutes billable revenue
- 03MINORMinimal unit growth (12.5% YoY on only 10 units) suggests weak franchisee recruitment and system stagnation
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other Afficient franchisees in same market
- 05MINORRoyalty structure tied to 'recommended pricing' rather than actual revenue is highly unusual and suggests franchisor controls pricing, limiting franchisee autonomy
- 06MINORVery low franchise fee ($1,000) relative to total investment may indicate franchisor desperate for cash flow rather than building sustainable system
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 22.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | San Jose, California (franchisor's home jurisdiction) |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 14 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 66 hrs
- Training location
- San Jose, California
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
9 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Afficient Academy franchise?
The total investment to open a Afficient Academy franchise ranges from $47K – $142K, with an initial franchise fee of $1K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Afficient Academy franchise owners earn?
Afficient Academy makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Afficient Academy?
Afficient Academy is franchised by Afficient Academy of America, Inc.. Its parent company is Afficient Academy, Inc. (affiliate that owns the software/IP via exclusive license). Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Afficient Academy FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Afficient Academy FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Afficient Academy's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Afficient Academy (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Afficient Academy franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Afficient Academy has 10 total units in the United States, including 9 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Afficient Academy a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Afficient Academy as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 61 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Afficient Academy, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Education franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Education category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.