One River SchoolFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A One River School franchise requires a total initial investment of $180K – $568K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 9.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $615K[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $180K – $568K
- 44th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- $615K
- 14th pct Business Serv…
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- 27th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 15
- 19th pct Business Serv…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Business Services 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
Franchised units fell from 8 to 3 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
1% cash-on-cash return (based on Operating Income). Below the 15% threshold where most investors start to question viability.
Bottom line
- Total investment $180K – $568K including a $45K franchise fee, 9.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $615K/year (median $616K), with an estimated 1% cash-on-cash return (based on Operating Income).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 58/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- One River School Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- One River School, LLC
- Incorporated in
- NJ
- HQ
- 49 North Dean Street, Englewood, New Jersey 07631
- Auditor
- Gene H. Levick & Company
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $211K
- vs $237K prior year
Affiliated brands
- Art Rocks
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
One River School franchisees operate progressive education centers or tutoring/enrichment programs, likely managing student enrollment, curriculum delivery, instructor payroll, facility operations, and parent communications. Day-to-day activities include class scheduling, student progress tracking, marketing to fill classes, and staff management.
- CEO
- Agnes Mauro
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 3
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $45K | $45K | |
| Real Estate/Rent | $6K | $19K | |
| Utility Deposits | $500 | $1K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $50K | $300K | |
| Initial Inventory and Merchandise | $3K | $11K | |
| Insurance | $3K | $5K | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $1K | $4K | |
| Training | $2K | $3K | |
| Signage | $8K | $12K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment | $25K | $35K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $25K | $33K | |
| Legal & Accounting | $2K | $6K | |
| Additional Funds - For Initial 12-Month Period | $10K | $96K | |
| Total initial investment | $180K | $568K |
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
$74K
12.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
17%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $180K – $568K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $96K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 9.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $700 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Total fee load | 11.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $615K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $616K
- Avg operating income
- $4K
- Reported as Operating Income in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 1.1%
- Based on Operating Income / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 14 units
- vs category median 32 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $520K→$708K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $520K→$708K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 7 / 5
- vs category median 3 / 5 · above
Compared against 360 Business Services brands
vs Business Services averages
How One River School Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 15
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 12
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 20%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -25.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -25.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 75.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 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.
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
One River School is a contracting franchise system with severe profitability problems, unit attrition, and undisclosed franchisor stability concerns that create high failure risk for new franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Gene H. Levick & Company
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 58 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSystem shrinkage of 25% YoY (15 units down from 20) indicates franchisee failure or dissatisfaction
- 02MINORProfitability crisis: avg net income of $3,966 on $614,919 revenue = 0.64% net margin (industry standard 10-15%)
- 03HIGHNo going concern status suggests franchisor financial instability or viability questions
- 04MINORHigh royalty rate (9%) combined with razor-thin margins creates unsustainable unit economics
- 05MINORWide investment range ($179.5K-$568K) with no clarity on what drives variance or guarantees
- 06MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representation limits ability to validate claims
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 | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Custom geography/radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory sizeℹ | 125,000 people |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| 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
- 36 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
19 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
One River School · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a One River School franchise?
The total investment to open a One River School franchise ranges from $180K – $568K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do One River School franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the One River School FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $615K. The median is $616K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is One River School's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for One River School (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 One River School franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, One River School has 15 total units in the United States, including 8 franchised units and 12 company-owned units.
Is One River School a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates One River School as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 58 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 One River School, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Business Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Business Services 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.