Aqua-Tots Swim SchoolFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Aqua-Tots Swim School franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.6M – $2.9M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.6M – $2.9M
- 68th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 47th pct Education
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 6th pct Education
- Units
- 132
- 60th 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
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.6M – $2.9M including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 5/100.
- System growing at 22.4% CAGR over 3 years with 132 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Aqua-Tots Swim School Holding LLC
- Parent company
- None
- CEO title
- Co-Founder and President
- Craig A Wright
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- AZ
- HQ
- 1110 S. Greenfield Rd., Suite 201, Mesa, Arizona 85206
- Auditor
- KMS Financial Consulting
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $16.2M
- vs $18.0M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Franchisees operate swim schools teaching children water safety and competitive swimming skills through structured group lessons and private coaching. Day-to-day operations include managing instructors, scheduling classes, maintaining pool facilities (or leasing them), marketing to local families, and managing enrollment and retention.
- CEO
- Craig A Wright
- Headquarters
- AZ
- Founded
- 2007
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 27
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Initial Travel Expenses during Training at Aqua-Tots University (ATU) in Arizonanot refundable | $2K | $18K | |
| Rent or Real Estatenot refundable | $12K | $85K | |
| Pool Design, Build and Aquatic Supplies and Equipmentnot refundable | $250K | $400K | |
| Tenant Improvementsnot refundable | $1.2M | $2.1M | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costsnot refundable | $6K | $20K | |
| Computers, Color Printer and Copiernot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $15K | $60K | |
| Opening Inventorynot refundable | $9K | $19K | |
| Advertising (3 mos)not refundable | $26K | $45K | |
| Aqua-Tots Swim Schools Proprietary Softwarenot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $3K | $11K | |
| Additional Funds for Initial three (3) Monthsnot refundable | $40K | $115K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.6M | $2.9M |
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
- $1.6M – $2.9M
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $40K – $115K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Revenue · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $170 |
| Training fee | $495 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Education averages
How Aqua-Tots Swim School Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 132
- Opened
- 15
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.5%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +11.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +22.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Transfer rate
- 2.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 1.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 38 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.
- Total loans
- 53
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Opaque financial performance metrics combined with high capital requirements and modest growth rate warrant deep financial validation before committing $1.6M–$2.9M.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · KMS Financial Consulting
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 5 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo average unit volume (Item 19) disclosed—impossible to assess ROI or payback period on $1.6M–$2.9M investment
- 02MEDHigh initial investment ($1.6M–$2.9M) with 6% royalty on undisclosed revenue creates opaque financial picture
- 03MINOR11.0% YoY unit growth is modest for a swim school franchise in a growing category; slower than comparable brands
- 04MINORNo disclosure of average net income means franchisees cannot validate profitability claims or break-even timeline
- 05MEDModest unit count (132 locations) suggests limited scale and brand recognition vs. larger competitors
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 | 1 |
| Territory type | Negotiated |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| 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 | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Arizona |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Arizona |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 46 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 108 hrs
- Training location
- Online/Virtual and other locations
- Field support
- 0 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 15 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Pike 13
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Pike 13
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
95 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Aqua-Tots Swim School · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Aqua-Tots Swim School franchise?
The total investment to open a Aqua-Tots Swim School franchise ranges from $1.6M – $2.9M, 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 Aqua-Tots Swim School franchise owners earn?
Aqua-Tots Swim School 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 Aqua-Tots Swim School's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Aqua-Tots Swim 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 Aqua-Tots Swim School franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Aqua-Tots Swim School has 132 total units in the United States, including 107 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 15 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Aqua-Tots Swim School a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Aqua-Tots Swim School as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 5 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.
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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.