British Swim School Franchise Cost & 2026 FDD Data
56/100
Second tier
56 this brand55 Education medianlikely 52–60 (high confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#1,232 of 3,068 graded brands
Why a B: Helped by unit growth, scale, legal record and transparency. Held back by unit economics. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $123K – $176K
- Standard Territory format
- Avg gross sales
- $179K
- 565 Revenue per contracted pool - contracted pools, 2025; not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 15.0%
1 in 7 SBA 7(a) loans to British Swim School owners charged off (3 of 20 resolved loans, approved since FY1991); Education median 11.9%. Loans approved FY2017–FY2019: 1 of 13 resolved loans charged off (7.7%); newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend.
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026 FDD
Per the 2026 FDD, a British Swim School franchise requires a total initial investment of $123K – $176K for the Standard Territory format (the filing prices $95K to $176K across two formats), including a $60K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 10.0%. Per the 2026 FDD, average gross sales were $179K (Item 19: 565 Revenue per contracted pool - contracted pools, 2025; gross sales, not profit). SBA 7(a) loans show a 15.0% charge-off rate on 20 resolved loans. Verdict grade: B (Second tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2026 FDD · SBA 7(a) loan records (FOIA) · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low (issued within the last 12 months)
Evidence for the headline figures: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Education median
Top edge: green = better than the Education median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSAverage gross sales of $179K/year (Item 19: 565 Revenue per contracted pool - contracted pools, 2025; gross sales, not profit).
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 31 (47 opened, 16 closed).
- FLAGItem 4 discloses a bankruptcy of an officer or of a company an officer ran, not of the franchisor. Review Item 4 for details.
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $19K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $30K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $120K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (3)
- SBA 7(a) charge-off 15.0% on 20 resolved loans, loans approved since FY1991, above the Education median of 11.9% (21 brands).
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
- You waive a jury trial in disputes with the franchisor (Item 17, renewal, termination and disputes).
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no net loss of franchised outlets in the latest Item 20 years, no lawsuit naming the franchisor in Item 3, no rule that the owner must run it personally and the full filing on file, and an Item 19 average from 565 units. Not on file here, so ask: supplier rebates.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match, or the lenders already lending to this brand in the SBA section. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 21% below the Education median ($188K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask British Swim School Franchising, LLC (Item 1: 2829 Guardian Lane, Suite 100, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23452) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Item 7 (startup costs) · 2 formats · 2026 FDD
Every building format
The filing prints a separate Item 7 table for each format.
2 formats, from $95K to $176K
| Format | Total investment | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Territory(the range shown above) | $123K – $176K | p.27 |
| Targeted Territory | $95K – $151K | p.28 |
Full Item 7 breakdown22 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $59.5K | $59.5K | |
| Mailer Program Set- Up Fee | $1K | $1K | |
| Mailing List Fee | $150 | $150 | |
| Postcard Fees | $4.5K | $4.5K | |
| SEO Fees | $3.6K | $3.6K | |
| Digital Marketing Fees | $17K | $17K | |
| Chatbot Fee | $500 | $1.5K | |
| Pool Security Deposit | $0 | $8K | |
| Pool Usage Fee(5) – 3 months | $1.5K | $12K | |
| Opening Inventory (pool equipment, training supplies, learning aids) | $3.05K | $6.1K | |
| Signage | $250 | $750 | |
| Financial Management Training | $200 | $200 | |
| Training: Travel and Living Expenses | $1.5K | $5K | |
| Accountant and Legal Fees | $300 | $1K | |
| Insurance Premium | $2.4K | $5K | |
| Computer System | $0 | $3.5K | |
| Office Security Deposit | $0 | $1.5K | |
| Office Rent, Office Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment – 3 Months | $0 | $4.5K | |
| Technology Fee – 3 months | $750 | $750 | |
| Pre-Marketing and Grand Opening Advertising | $10K | $15K | |
| Total initial investment | $123K | $176K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
Technology feeThe filing's detailMonthly Technology Fee currently starting at approximately $250/month pre-opening, increasing up to $820/month per Territory as active student count grows past 1,000; covers scheduling/billing software, webpage, franchise management system, learning management system, VOIP, and email/cloud storage. | $250/month |
| Transfer fee | $29,750 |
| Total fee loadabove the Education median of 9.0% (heavy) | 12.0% of sales |
What do units actually make?
Average gross sales are 58% below the Education median ($427K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one British Swim School unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
Average gross sales are $179K (FDD p.71), and the royalty and ad fund take about $21K of that a year (Item 6). This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners. So this box does not estimate a profit. To cover the loan payment alone, one unit has to clear $19K a year after its food, labor, rent and other costs and the franchisor's fees.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $149K Item 7 midpoint (Standard Territory format) is a $120K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $19K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours. British Swim School's past SBA 7(a) loans averaged 9.2% at approval; 7(a) rates move with the prime rate, so 10.5% is a current-rate assumption, not this brand's history.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $30K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $149K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $120K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
One unit
One unit: what is left after the loan payment
Gross sales, minus the franchisor's fees and the operating costs, is the unit's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Minus an assumed loan payment, that is what is left for you, before tax. Gross sales are not profit.
This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners. Invested capital is the Item 7 total, which already includes its working-capital (additional funds) line.
Returns model · one unit
What would one British Swim School unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Item 19: $178,624 average for 565 outlets (Revenue per contracted pool - 2025). Use a figure for outlets like yours if yours differ.
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
The filing also sets a minimum or cap on these fees: “First full calendar year after Franchise Agreement effective date: flat 10% of Gross Sales. Second full calendar year: greater of 10% of Gross Sales or $1,500/month. Third full calendar year: greater of 10% of Gross Sales or $2,500/month. Fourth full calendar year and after: greater of 10% of Gross Sales or $3,500/month (this becomes the minimum floor upon renewal as well).” (Item 6). This model applies the percentages, so at low sales the real fee can be higher than shown here.
Item 6, as stored, a year. A fixed fee, so it comes off EBITDA as dollars, not a share of sales.
This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners.
Illustrative category typicals, not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Item 7 midpoint of $123K to $176K
Item 7's $9K to $15K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $120K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
Buying several existing units? The acquisition scenario
Buying several units
What buying a few existing units could return
Prices an existing operator of a few units off the single-unit EBITDA above, after shared services, and finances it with an SBA 7(a) loan, a conventional loan and a seller note. It shows the yearly return on your cash (IRR), whether year-1 earnings cover the loan payments (DSCR) and how the price is paid for. It starts at 5 units; every deal term is an assumption you can change, and none is from the FDD.
Not modelled yet
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
This scenario starts from a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in the one-unit model above and it runs on that figure, or take it to the full ROI workbench, where the multi-unit and acquisition models accept your own per-unit economics.
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: 2026 FDD · filed by British Swim School Franchising, LLC
Financial performance
Percentile ranks within Education
Each rank is among the Education brands that report that figure (the count is under each bar).
vs Education medians
How British Swim School compares
Category median of published Education brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Who are you contracting with?
British Swim School Franchising, LLC, owned by BSS Acquisition Holdings, LLC.
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- British Swim School Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- BSS Acquisition Holdings, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2026 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Buzz Franchise Brands, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- British Swim Centers Franchising, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Ashley Gundlach
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 2829 Guardian Lane, Suite 100, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23452
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 7
3 other brands on this site name Buzz Franchise Brands, LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- Home Clean Heroes (grade B)
- Pool Scouts (grade C)
- Wonderly Lights (grade A)
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2026 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
Swimming and water-survival instruction franchise offering private and group swim lessons for individuals of all ages (primarily children 10 and under), plus pool facility rental, pool parties, and related special events, operated from owned, rented, or licensed swimming pools.
- CEO
- Ashley Gundlach
- States and territories listed
- 34
- registered or offered in, as the filing lists them (DC and territories included); not where units may open
Is the system healthy?
+95 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (194 to 289, +49.0% in total, +22.1% a year compounded).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 rates and pipeline
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 19
- 1 for every 15 open outlets · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 47
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units rose from 194 in 2023 to 289 in 2025
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Government records
SBA loan data
Lenders charged off 15.0% of 20 resolved SBA 7(a) loans, above the 11.9% category median. 7(a) is the SBA's main small-business loan; a resolved loan was paid in full or charged off.
- Loans on file
- 67
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $13.7M
- Average loan
- $204K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- 15.0%
- 3 of 20 resolved loans
- Paid in full
- 85.0%
- of resolved loans
- Charge-off, loans approved FY2017–FY2019
- 7.7%
- 1 of 13 resolved loans; newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend
- Lenders
- 22
- Average interest rate
- 9.2%
- Jobs reported
- 656
- Lender concentration
- 27%
- top lender's share
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Benchmark: the median Education brand charges off 11.9% (21 brands with a published rate, same cumulative window and source). This brand is 3.1 points above it.
Borrower mix: of the 60 loans with a recorded business age, 51 (85%) went to startups or businesses under two years old and 9 (15%) to established businesses or ownership changes.
The approval-year breakdown covers 13 of the 20 resolved loans and 1 of the 3 charge-offs (FY2017 to FY2019).
SBA 7(a) · charge-off rate by approval year
British Swim School charge-off rate by loan approval year
None of these 3 approval years has 10 or more resolved loans, too few to draw a trend. Each year’s numbers are in the table below.
Show the numbers by year
| Year | Resolved | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | Too few |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | Too few |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | Too few |
Source and method
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Full SBA lending reportlenders · charge-off rate · trend
Lender network · SBA 7(a)
SBA Lending Report
Lender, state and yearly detail for British Swim School from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records.
- Average SBA guarantee
- 78%
- Average interest rate
- 9.2%
- Lender concentration
- 27%
- Jobs reported
- 656
Top 10 SBA lenders by loan count
| Loans | Volume | Charge-off |
|---|---|---|
| United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | ||
| 18 | $2.6M | Not on file |
| The Huntington National Bank | ||
| 8 | $976K | Not on file |
| Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | ||
| 6 | $673K | Not on file |
| Readycap Lending, LLC | ||
| 6 | $840K | Not on file |
| First Bank of the Lake | ||
| 5 | $860K | Not on file |
A lender’s rate counts only its resolved loans, the loans that have finished (paid in full or charged off); a 0.0% often means few of its loans have finished. Under 10 resolved loans, the rate reads “Too few”.
Charge-off rate by state (top 10 by loans)
| State | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX Texas | 10 | 1 | Too few2 resolved |
| CA California | 8 | 0 | Too few3 resolved |
| FL Florida | 7 | 2 | Too few3 resolved |
| MD Maryland | 5 | 0 | Too few0 resolved |
| AZ Arizona | 3 | 0 | Too few2 resolved |
| GA Georgia | 3 | 0 | Too few0 resolved |
| IL Illinois | 3 | 0 | Too few2 resolved |
| MA Massachusetts | 3 | 0 | Too few0 resolved |
| MI Michigan | 3 | 0 | Too few3 resolved |
| OR Oregon | 3 | 0 | Too few0 resolved |
Rate: charged-off loans over resolved loans (paid in full plus charged off), shown from 10 resolved loans. "Too few": under 10 resolved. The Loans column counts every approval in the window, including loans still being repaid.
SBA 7(a) loans approved per year
Borrower profile
The SBA's own business-age labels (4)
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level data, matched to the brand by FranchiseVerdict.
What are the risks?
Main risk in the grade: unit economics. The reasons are below.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade B: Second tier, 56/100 (category median 55); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a B, factor by factor
- Financial health NeutralAudited financials; no going-concern doubt
- Unit economics Weighs on it, weakest dimensionAvg gross sales $179K on a $149K investment midpoint, 1.2x (gross sales, not profit)
- Unit growth Helps+95 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (194 to 289, +49.0% in total, +22.1% a year compounded); turnover 5.5%
- Scale Helps289 franchised units; franchising since 2011; mostly company-owned (1% franchised)
- Legal HelpsNo litigation naming the franchisor in Item 3; a bankruptcy disclosed in Item 4 (an officer's)
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 discloses financial performance; audited financials; no franchisor financial figures on file
- Adjustments after the six dimensions (-17 points)SBA loan record: the SBA charge-off rate (15.0% on 20 resolved loans) is between 10% and 20%, a range the score counts against a brand, so it took 7 points off. The score uses fixed ranges, not the category median, so a rate below its category median can still cost points.Score limits: a ceiling the method sets for specific risks (such as a very high SBA charge-off rate, high turnover or an auditor's going-concern doubt) took 10 points off.
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Subject: an officer. An officer’s own bankruptcy or a company an officer ran, not the franchisor’s
Dave Warn (VP of Franchise Development) and his spouse jointly filed a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition on April 24, 2014; plan confirmed August 20, 2014; standard discharge entered January 27, 2020 (U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of California, Sacramento Division, Case No. 14-24219). This is a personal officer bankruptcy, not a company bankruptcy.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
Ask what the franchisor earns on the supplies it sells you or the rebates it takes (Item 8).
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 12.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Allowed renewals | 2 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes, on conditions |
| Territory condition | Franchisor will not operate or grant another franchise in the Territory or allow another franchisee to operate at a Pool within it, contingent on franchisee compliance. |
| Exclusive territory | Yes |
| Territory population | 25,000 |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | A manager may run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Right of first refusal | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
Items 5 (initial fees), 7 (startup costs), 12 (territory) and 20 (outlet counts) · development agreement
Area development (several units)
The filing offers a development agreement for several units. If you miss the schedule, the development agreement can be ended.
Every term, with its page
- If you miss the schedule
- The development agreement can be ended.
2026 FDD p.53
“If you fail to satisfy the Development Schedule, we may terminate your future development rights within the Development Area.” - Signed, not yet open
- 19 franchises sold but not open at year end (Item 20, Table 5; see Growth). Ask how long they have been waiting and why.
Each unit still needs its own Item 7 investment on top of the development fee. Have a franchise attorney read the schedule and the default terms before you sign.
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 89 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- Virginia Beach, Virginia (and designated Certified Training Location for Aquatics)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee, subject to franchisor approval of Pool
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Franchisee contacts
We hold no owner list for this brand. Item 20 of the FDD lists the current and former owners; the free FDD is the source.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a British Swim School franchise?
Per the 2026 FDD, the total investment to open a British Swim School franchise ranges from $123K to $176K for the Standard Territory format, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. Across every format the filing prices, totals run from $95K to $176K (two formats). This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. It usually leaves out buying land or a building; Item 7's notes say what is excluded.
What do British Swim School franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the British Swim School FDD, average gross sales were $179K (565 Revenue per contracted pool - contracted pools, 2025; gross sales, not profit). What an owner keeps depends on location, operating costs and management.
Who owns British Swim School?
British Swim School is franchised by British Swim School Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is BSS Acquisition Holdings, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Buzz Franchise Brands, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the British Swim School 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 British Swim School FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is British Swim School's franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate. What is measurable is British Swim School's SBA charge-off rate: 15.0% on 20 resolved loans. Put plainly: 1 in 7 SBA 7(a) loans to British Swim School owners charged off (3 of 20 resolved loans, approved since FY1991); loans approved FY2017–FY2019: 1 of 13 resolved loans charged off (7.7%); newer loans have not had time to default, so this is not a trend. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. A franchisee can repay and close, or default and keep trading.
How many British Swim School franchise locations are there?
Per the 2026 FDD, British Swim School has 289 franchised units and 0 company-owned (289 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 31 (47 opened, 16 closed).
Is British Swim School a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives British Swim School a B Verdict grade (Second tier) with a verdict score of 56 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by unit growth, scale, legal record and transparency. Held back by unit economics (avg gross sales $179K on a $149K investment midpoint, 1.2x: gross sales, not profit). The “Why a B” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Education franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
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.