Autism Center of Excellence Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
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 does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $220K – $499K
- 47th pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 4th pct Healthcare
- Units
- 5
- 20th pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare avg · 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 B (Above average), verdict score 48/100 (higher is better).
- 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 13% below the typical healthcare franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 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 | |
| Additional initial franchise fees (Multi-Unit Development Agreement)not refundable | $20K | $78K | |
| Business planning and miscellaneous expenses (MUDA)not refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Total initial investment | $241K | $582K |
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%
- percentage · 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
Autism Center of Excellence did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Autism Center of Excellence unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
34%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
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→$3.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- 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 average of 8.8%.
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 averages
How Autism Center of Excellence Compares
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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
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)
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 48 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing Concern status indicates franchisor financial instability despite $2M+ average unit revenue
- 02MINOROnly 5 units in system with unknown growth trajectory raises sustainability questions
- 03MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 prevents ROI validation and profitability assessment
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($220k-$499k) relative to small franchise system size increases risk concentration
- 05MEDNo 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 |
| 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?
Autism Center of Excellence does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
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, including 0 franchised units and 5 company-owned units.
Is Autism Center of Excellence a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Autism Center of Excellence as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 48 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. 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?
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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.