Driving AcademyFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Driving Academy franchise requires a total initial investment of $224K – $557K, including a $50K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $4.3M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $224K – $557K
- 44th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $4.3M
- 46th pct Education
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 6
- 18th pct Education
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Education avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Each dollar invested generates 11.1x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Bottom line
- Total investment $224K – $557K including a $50K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $4.3M/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 53/100.
- Revenue data based on only 2 reporting units. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Driving Academy Franchising, Inc.
- Parent company
- Driving Academy Acquisition Inc.
- Incorporated in
- NJ
- HQ
- 200 East Edgar Road, Linden, New Jersey 07036
- Auditor
- Divine, Blalock, Martin & Sellari, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $134K
- vs $455K prior year
Affiliated brands
- Driving Academy
- Cosa Bella
- J Crown
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Driving Academy franchisees operate driver training and instruction facilities, offering defensive driving courses, teen driver education, and potentially commercial driver licensing programs. Day-to-day operations include scheduling driving lessons, managing instructor staff, maintaining training vehicles, and handling student registration and payments.
- CEO
- Jonathan Marques
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Technology | $10K | $15K | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures | $65K | $189K | |
| Real Estate | $15K | $28K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $2K | $22K | |
| Utilities | $200 | $500 | |
| Signagenot refundable | $4K | $6K | |
| Start Up Inventory | $4K | $8K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $3K | $5K | |
| Vehicles | $28K | $135K | |
| Vehicle Graphics | $5K | $11K | |
| Staffing | $12K | $31K | |
| Insurance | $850 | $2K | |
| Travel, Lodging and Meals for Initial Training Program | $2K | $4K | |
| Business Licenses, Permits, Certifications and other Professional Fees | $550 | $3K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $25K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $224K | $557K |
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.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$691K
16.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
161%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
7 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $224K – $557K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of (i) 10% of Gross Revenues per month, or (i…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $550 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $4.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 2 units
- vs category median 14 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $2.1M→$6.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 0 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 237 Education brands
Revenue is 11.1x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Education averages
How Driving Academy Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 6
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 67%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Hawaii
- Maryland
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Aggressive early-stage franchise with critical financial transparency gaps (no Item 19), explosive growth metrics that may be unsustainable, and unclear franchisor financial health.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $146,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Divine, Blalock, Martin & Sellari, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 53 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) — impossible to validate ROI claims or profitability benchmarks
- 02MINORExtreme unit growth (300% YoY) with only 6 locations suggests either aggressive recent expansion or cherry-picked data; unsustainable growth rates often precede contraction
- 03HIGHGoing Concern flag is FALSE but should be verified — unclear if franchisor disclosed financial stability issues in FDD Item 21
- 04MEDHigh royalty structure (10% + $1,000 minimum) with undisclosed revenue makes break-even analysis impossible; $1,000 minimum may be unsustainable for struggling locations
- 05MINORLarge investment range ($224K-$557K spread) indicates high variability in startup costs; unclear what drives the 149% difference
- 06MINORProtected territory lacks specifics — size, density, and exclusivity definitions should be questioned
- 07MEDOnly 6 franchised units provides minimal track record and limited peer validation data
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 56 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 85 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Driving Academy · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Driving Academy franchise?
The total investment to open a Driving Academy franchise ranges from $224K – $557K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Driving Academy franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Driving Academy FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $4.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Driving Academy's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Driving 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 Driving Academy franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Driving Academy has 6 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Driving Academy a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Driving Academy as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 53 out of 100, 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?
If you represent Driving Academy, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther 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.