How does The Tutoring Center operate after opening?
A franchisee runs one physical after-school Center, converts parent inquiries into diagnostic assessments and enrollments, then delivers One-to-One Instruction™ through The Rotational Approach to Learning®. The Designated Owner manages demand, schedules, staff, service quality, records, and compliance; The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp. controls curriculum, Products and Services, digital channels, suppliers, technology, data access, and System standards.
Data basis and scope
- Legal franchisor
- The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp., a California corporation
- Disclosure basis
- U.S. FDD issued March 12, 2026; Items 1, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19 and 20, plus the Franchise Agreement and Operations Manual table of contents
- Applicable operating format
- One Center at one Approved Location; qualifying Centers may add the optional SAT/ACT Test Prep Program under a separate addendum
- Item 20 period
- U.S. outlet activity for 2023–2025, with year-end 2025 composition
- Official pages used
- consumer brand site, academic programs, instruction model, and franchise training and support
- Date checked
- July 28, 2026. Item 20 controls outlet counts where current website marketing language differs.
Source: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 11, 12, 15 and 20, pp. 13–15, 17–25, 27 and 35–39.
What does the Center sell, and who buys it?
The core sale is an approved tutoring program for school-age children, purchased by parents or guardians after an assessment and consultation. The authorized subjects include reading, math, writing, pre-algebra, Algebra I and II, geometry, test preparation, and study skills.
The consumer model combines One-to-One Instruction™ with The Rotational Approach to Learning®. The official Academic Programs page describes a 30-minute section followed by two 15-minute sections, with approved paths for remediation, enrichment, kindergarten, homeschooling, study skills, and pre-SAT work. The FDD controls which Products and Services a Center may offer.
Customer-payment mechanics are only partly disclosed. The local operator sets tuition, subject to any lawful maximum price. A current official franchise page says tuition is collected automatically, but the contract does not define one universal parent billing cycle, refund rule, or collection sequence. Current forms and platform settings govern that execution detail.
Core customer
Parents and guardians seeking structured after-school academic support for K–12 students who are behind, on grade level, or ready for enrichment.
Optional operating path
The SAT/ACT Test Prep Program is available only after the Center has operated for 24 months, averages at least 50 enrolled students, has qualified instructors, receives approval, and signs the SAT/ACT Program Addendum.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 1, pp. 1–2, and Item 16, pp. 27–28; Agreement §§1 and 14; Manual table of contents, Exhibit C.
How does work move from inquiry to ongoing tutoring?
The verified operating sequence is inquiry, diagnostic assessment, parent consultation and enrollment, scheduled tutoring, progress recording, and franchisor reporting. The Operations Manual table of contents separately identifies the appointment board, parent orientation, test consultation, diagnostic assessments, academic programs, classroom operations, enrollment cards, enrolling students, and progress testing.
Generate and receive an inquiry
- Actor
- Designated Owner, Center Director, and approved brand channels
- Action
- Use approved local marketing and receive parent inquiries through the Center or The Tutoring Center Website.
- System / asset
- Approved advertising, Center contact information, appointment process
- Output
- A diagnostic-evaluation appointment
Assess the student
- Actor
- Trained Center personnel
- Action
- Collect approved student information and administer the required diagnostic assessment for all students.
- System / asset
- Riverside Insights Woodcock-Johnson V materials and scoring software
- Output
- Recorded strengths, needs, and assessment results
Consult and enroll
- Actor
- Designated Owner or Center Director with the parent or guardian
- Action
- Explain results, select an authorized Academic Program, complete approved enrollment documents, set the price, and establish the schedule.
- System / asset
- Approved forms, enrollment cards, Foundation Roster Student Data Base
- Output
- An enrolled student with an approved program and timetable
Deliver the tutoring program
- Actor
- Instructors under Center supervision
- Action
- Provide One-to-One Instruction™ at the Approved Location through the prescribed rotational sequence and authorized materials.
- System / asset
- Student Workbooks, classroom layout, approved program materials
- Output
- Completed sessions and attendance records
Track progress and communicate
- Actor
- Center team, supervised by the Designated Owner
- Action
- Maintain current student data, conduct Progress Testing, update Academic Program records, and complete approved parent follow-up.
- System / asset
- Foundation Roster, progress reports, approved documents
- Output
- Updated program decisions and the next service cycle
Report and demonstrate compliance
- Actor
- Franchisee and The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp.
- Action
- Preserve records, submit requested enrollment and operating information, and support inspections or remote data review.
- System / asset
- Student Data Base, accounting records, computer systems, possible camera access
- Output
- Franchisor oversight, corrective action, or continued compliance
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 11, pp. 17–23; Agreement §§13–14, pp. 20–25; Manual table of contents, Exhibit C.
Can the Center be manager-run?
A Center Director may manage daily work, but the FDD does not support absentee operation. The Designated Owner must provide full-time management, remain present or immediately available, and retain supervisory responsibility.
Outside employment requires notice. A Designated Owner leaving the Center Director role must install an acceptable, trained replacement before day-to-day management transfers.
The disclosure assigns functions but does not prescribe headcount, shifts, instructor-to-student ratios, wages, or ordinary-instructor qualifications. Capacity planning therefore depends on the current classroom schedule, local employment law, and confidential staffing procedures rather than an assumed unit formula.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 15, p. 27; Agreement §§1.D, 14.I and 17.A, pp. 3–4 and 24–28.
Which suppliers and technologies are mandatory?
The franchisee cannot build an independent tutoring stack. The franchisor or its approved and designated suppliers control the Student Workbooks, diagnostic platform, student database, specified computer package, signage, printing, forms, and other listed Products and Services. Supplier approvals and specifications can change during the agreement.
The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp. produces the required Student Workbooks and is the sole-approved SAT/ACT workbook source. Unapproved materials may not be substituted without written consent.
The Foundation Roster Student Data Base must remain current. No separate student database is permitted, and The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp. has independent access and contractual ownership rights.
Woodcock-Johnson V assessment and scoring software is required for all students. Results feed Test Consultation, Academic Program selection, and Progress Testing.
The required package includes a new Apple laptop, iPad, Apple desktop computer, software, and continuous high-speed internet. The franchisor may require upgrades, payment systems, communications devices, and a Security Camera System.
The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp. can inspect the Center physically or electronically, review records, require photos or video, and demand information within 72 hours. Franchise Agreement records generally remain available for at least five years, and approved Supporting Documents must be refreshed every 90 days.
The required support obligation is defined rather than unlimited: remote assistance, mandatory training, document updates, vendor-list changes, and possible inspections. Public descriptions of mentoring and centralized support supplement the contract, but their timing and delivery remain controlled by the franchisor.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 8, pp. 13–15, and Item 11, pp. 21–23; Agreement §§13–14, pp. 20–25.
What protection does the Territory provide?
The limited protected Territory prevents another The Tutoring Center street address inside the defined area while the franchisee remains compliant. It does not create exclusive customer, account, internet, or alternative-channel rights.
Local advertising is a franchisee responsibility, but nonstandard materials require approval. The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp. promises no local media spend, has no current Advertising Fund or cooperative, and may later designate a sole digital-marketing provider.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 12, pp. 23–25; Agreement §1, pp. 2–4.
What does Item 20 show about the U.S. operating network?
The system remained entirely franchise-operated in the United States. Year-end franchised Centers declined from 82 in 2023 to 73 in 2024, then remained at 73 in 2025; company-owned Centers were zero in each year.
U.S. outlets at year end, 2023–2025
Exact Item 20 counts; franchised and company-owned populations use the same reporting basis.
Item 20 signal: the 2025 U.S. footprint was stable after the prior year’s contraction, with seven openings offset by two non-renewals and five outlets ceasing for other reasons.
Source: 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, Item 20, Tables 1 and 3, pp. 35–39. Counts are U.S. outlets at December 31 of each year.
What does the franchisor control, and what remains with the franchisee?
The franchisee executes locally within The Tutoring Center System. The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp. controls the offering, inputs, data environment, channels, and compliance tests; the franchisee controls employment, local pricing, approved spending, and daily execution.
Franchisee decisions
Local discretion exists, but only inside approved standards.
- Employment
- Hire, pay, schedule, supervise, and maintain competent Center staff.
- Pricing
- Set local prices, subject to lawful franchisor maximums.
- Site proposal and lease
- Propose the site and negotiate the lease, subject to approval.
- Local marketing level
- Choose approved local activity and optional spending above any minimum.
- Alternative supplier request
- Submit samples at its expense; use requires written approval.
Franchisor controls
The contract preserves broad authority to revise the System.
- Offering
- Add, remove, or condition Products and Services and eligibility.
- Suppliers and technology
- Designate or replace vendors, hardware, software, databases, and specifications.
- Brand and channels
- Approve advertising, control internet presence, reserve channels, and administer Centralized Accounts.
- Data and inspection
- Access data, audit records, inspect physically or electronically, and require correction.
- Manual and hours
- Revise the Operations Manual and specify operating hours.
Which operating questions remain material?
Current execution details remain in the Operations Manual, Approved Vendors and Supplies List, platform terms, and Schedule A. They must be verified for the proposed Center.
What is the operating model in one view?
The central mechanism is parent-funded enrollment in approved Academic Programs delivered at one Approved Location. The Designated Owner’s primary responsibility is managing enrollment, staff, classroom execution, records, and quality. The strongest dependency is The Tutoring Center Franchise Corp.’s control of Student Workbooks, Approved Vendors, technology, the Student Data Base, internet channels, inspections, and Operations Manual changes.
The five-mile limited protected Territory covers a physical The Tutoring Center location, not customers or alternative channels. The largest undisclosed question is the current Operations Manual allocation of daily tasks, staffing coverage, vendor specifications, and inquiry routing.