Best Brains Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Best Brains is an after-school education franchise offering math, English, coding, and abacus enrichment for kids ages 3 to 14, in centers and online. Franchisees run a learning center managing certified teachers, enrollment, and the curriculum.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A BEST BRAINS franchise requires a total initial investment of $50K – $134K, including a $15K franchise fee and an ongoing 14.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $50K – $134K
- 14th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 14.0%
- 60th pct Education
- Units
- 164
- 70th pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education 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 $50K – $134K including a $15K franchise fee, 14.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSGross Income FY2024 (audited Statement of Operations): Franchise fees 77,987; Royalty Income 4,075,600; Tuition fees 1,101,650; Material charges 2,824,687; Other operating income 653,611. Auditor: Accutax Bizsolutions LLC, Kalispell, MT.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 78/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 39.7% CAGR over 3 years with 164 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Best Brains, Inc.
- Parent company
- None
- CEO title
- Director and President
- Ajay Sunkara
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 135 E. Algonquin Road, Suite B, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60005
- Auditor
- Accutax Bizsolutions LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $8.7M
- vs $6.1M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Ajay Sunkara
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2011
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 28
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 86% below the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $15K | $15K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $0 | $6K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $35K | $114K |
| Total initial investment | $50K | $134K |
Source: BEST BRAINS 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $50K – $134K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $0 – $6K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $15K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 14.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- $1 per subject per student per month up to $3, subject to…
- Total fee load
- 14.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 14.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $40 |
| Training fee | $4K |
| Transfer fee | $3K |
| Renewal fee | $10 |
| Inventory (initial) | $1K – $11K |
| Total fee load | 14.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
BEST BRAINS 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 BEST BRAINS unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
47%
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
Gross Income FY2024 (audited Statement of Operations): Franchise fees 77,987; Royalty Income 4,075,600; Tuition fees 1,101,650; Material charges 2,824,687; Other operating income 653,611. Auditor: Accutax Bizsolutions LLC, Kalispell, MT.
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 14.0% — above the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System expanding at 39.7% CAGR over 3 years across 164 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Education averages
How Best Brains Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 164
- Opened
- 43
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 2
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 5.6%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +39.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +39.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 57
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 4
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 4
- Transfers (3yr)
- 10
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 25 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 4 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 4
- Loan volume
- $417K
- Median loan
- $117K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (4 loans) — rate not shown below 10
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
- 3
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
Best Brains presents meaningful risk due to missing financial disclosures, aggressive growth metrics, unprotected territory, and corporate stability concerns that warrant cautious investigation.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Accutax Bizsolutions LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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 78 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed (Item 19 missing) — impossible to validate ROI claims
- 02MINORHigh royalty rate at 14% of gross sales with no profitability benchmarks provided
- 03MINORRapid unit growth (32.8% YoY) may indicate unsustainable expansion or aggressive recruiting over franchisee success
- 04MINORNo protected territory creates direct competition risk and cannibalization potential
- 05HIGHGoing Concern flagged as FALSE — suggests financial instability at corporate level
- 06MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (typically 10 years), increasing renewal uncertainty
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 14.0% 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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | IL |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 34 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 10 hrs
- Training location
- Chicagoland area BEST BRAINS learning centers
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- BEST BRAINS Educational Assistant internet portal ("BEA Portal")
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: BEST BRAINS Educational Assistant internet portal ("BEA Portal")
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
108 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
BEST BRAINS · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a BEST BRAINS franchise?
The total investment to open a BEST BRAINS franchise ranges from $50K – $134K, with an initial franchise fee of $15K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do BEST BRAINS franchise owners earn?
BEST BRAINS 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 BEST BRAINS 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 BEST BRAINS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is BEST BRAINS's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for BEST BRAINS (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 BEST BRAINS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, BEST BRAINS has 164 total units in the United States, including 162 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 43 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is BEST BRAINS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates BEST BRAINS as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 78 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?
If you represent BEST BRAINS, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other 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.