Autism Center of Excellence Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $220K – $499K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Autism Center of Excellence is a healthcare franchise providing behavioral, speech, and occupational therapy for children with autism. Franchisees run the centers, managing therapists, scheduling, and billing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Autism Center of Excellence franchise requires a total initial investment of $220K – $499K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2025. A system this young has fewer than three years of Item 20 outlet history and rarely enough SBA loans for a charge-off rate, so its grade rests on less evidence than an established system's. Read its Item 20 tables and talk to its first franchisees before relying on the grade. Other new franchisors
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2025 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - a newer filing may exist
Evidence: partial✓ 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 scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $220K – $499K
- 47th pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 4th pct Healthcare
- Units
- 5
- 19th pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare 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 $220K – $499K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports actual 2024 results for 3 of 5 company-owned outlets open the full year 2024 (Durham NC, Richmond VA, Fayetteville NC); the other 2 opened Nov/Dec 2024 and were excluded. Gross Sales = total revenue from sale of goods/services less sales tax, discounts, and returns. No franchisee data; affiliates pay no royalties/marketing fees (estimated 5% royalty/1% brand fund shown hypothetically).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 43/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports gross sales and gross profit rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- AutismCOE Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Managing Member
- Esha Bhasin
- Incorporated in
- WY
- HQ
- 1000 Park 40 Plaza, Suite 110, Durham, NC 27713
- Auditor
- Naper CPA Group (Omar Alnuaimi, CPA)
- Audited financials
Overview
About
- CEO
- Esha Bhasin
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 12% above the typical healthcare franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Rent and Lease Security Deposit | $6K | $25K | |
| Utilities | $500 | $1K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $40K | $200K | |
| Market Introduction Programnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipmentnot refundable | $25K | $50K | |
| Computer Systemsnot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $4K | $8K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $2K | $10K | |
| Office Expensesnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Licenses and Permitsnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Initial Labornot refundable | $40K | $60K | |
| Professional Fees (lawyer, accountant, etc.)not refundable | $1K | $3K | |
| Travel, lodging and meals for initial trainingnot refundable | $3K | $6K | |
| Additional funds (for first 3 months)not refundable | $50K | $75K | |
| Total initial investment | $220K | $499K |
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
- $220K – $499K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $75K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Autism Center of Excellence is on file. 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 Autism Center of Excellence 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, 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
Item 19 reports actual 2024 results for 3 of 5 company-owned outlets open the full year 2024 (Durham NC, Richmond VA, Fayetteville NC); the other 2 opened Nov/Dec 2024 and were excluded. Gross Sales = total revenue from sale of goods/services less sales tax, discounts, and returns. No franchisee data; affiliates pay no royalties/marketing fees (estimated 5% royalty/1% brand fund shown hypothetically).
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and gross profit
- Sample size
- 3
- vs category median 20 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $1.2M→$3.6MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 46 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 162 Healthcare brands
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 6.0% — below the Healthcare median of 8.0%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross sales and gross profit rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Healthcare medians
How Autism Center of Excellence Compares
Category median of published Healthcare 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
- 5
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
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)
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
Small, financially unstable franchise system with limited transparency on profitability and unclear unit growth trajectory—suitable only for risk-tolerant investors with operational autism services expertise.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Naper CPA Group (Omar Alnuaimi, CPA)
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 43 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 5 units in system with unknown growth trajectory raises sustainability questions
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 prevents ROI validation and profitability assessment
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($220k-$499k) relative to small franchise system size increases risk concentration
- 04MEDNo litigation disclosure combined with going concern status suggests potential undisclosed disputes or operational challenges
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% 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 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 5 mi |
| Territory population | 200,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Durham, North Carolina |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NC |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 32 hrs
- Training location
- Our Locations (Durham, NC or as we otherwise specify)
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Field support
- 40 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 5 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Electronic Health Records (EHR)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Electronic Health Records (EHR)
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Autism Center of Excellence franchise?
The total investment to open a Autism Center of Excellence franchise ranges from $220K – $499K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Autism Center of Excellence franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the Autism Center of Excellence FDD discloses outlet figures from $1.2M to $3.6M but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Autism Center of Excellence?
Autism Center of Excellence is franchised by AutismCOE Franchising, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Autism Center of Excellence 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 Autism Center of Excellence FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Autism Center of Excellence's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Autism Center of Excellence (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 Autism Center of Excellence franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Autism Center of Excellence has 5 total units in the United States.
Is Autism Center of Excellence a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Autism Center of Excellence as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 43 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 Autism Center of Excellence, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.