Children’s Art ClassesFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Children’s Art Classes franchise requires a total initial investment of $134K – $264K, including a $60K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $139K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $134K – $264K
- 36th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $139K
- 3rd pct Education
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 14
- 31st 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
At 0.7x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchised units fell from 12 to 6 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
66% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $134K – $264K including a $60K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $139K/year, with an estimated 66% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 29/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- CAC Franchising, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- President
- Stephanie Larsen
- CEO experience
- 15 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 9838 Old Baymeadows Road, #158, Jacksonville, FL, 32256
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $247K
- vs $324K prior year
Affiliated brands
- has the same business address as us
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate art instruction centers offering classes in painting, drawing, sculpture, and crafts for children ages 3–16. Day-to-day operations include scheduling classes, managing instructors, marketing to parents, and managing facility/supply inventory. Revenue comes from class enrollment fees, art supply sales, and special events/workshops.
- CEO
- Stephanie Larsen
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 10
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 20 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $60K | $60K | |
| Training-Related Expensesnot refundable | $1K | $6K | |
| Initial Local Advertisingnot refundable | $10K | $15K | |
| Rent and Security Deposit for Lease and Utilities | $8K | $16K | |
| Leasehold Improvements, including architectural servicesnot refundable | $12K | $88K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipmentnot refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| Initial Inventory and Suppliesnot refundable | $10K | $16K | |
| Insurance (3 months)not refundable | $300 | $600 | |
| Business Licenses and Permitsnot refundable | $200 | $500 | |
| Optional Teacher Recruiting Servicesnot refundable | $0 | $4K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $1K | $4K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $4K | $10K | |
| Computersnot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Software and Technology Servicesnot refundable | $1K | $2K | |
| Camera & Security Systemnot refundable | $300 | $500 | |
| Fingerprinting and Background Checksnot refundable | $18 | $60 | |
| Uniformsnot refundable | $300 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds (for first 3 months)not refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Additional Initial Franchise Fees (Multi-Unit Development Agreement)not refundable | $30K | $50K | |
| Business Planning and Miscellaneous Expenses (MUDA)not refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Total initial investment | $165K | $319K |
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
$22K
16.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
10%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
9.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $134K – $264K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $60K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- The greater of 8.25% of gross sales per month, or $500
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.3%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 1.5 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of 8.25% of gross sales per month, or $500 |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $483 |
| Training fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $7K – $16K |
| Total fee load | 9.3% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $139K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $132K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 66.4%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Historical Sales and Summary Income Statement
- Sample size
- 14 units
- vs category median 14
- Range (low → high)
- $25K→$359K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 6 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 237 Education brands
Revenue is only 0.7x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Education averages
How Children’s Art Classes Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 14
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 86%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +33.3%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +100.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 38
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 28 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 8 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 8
- Loan volume
- $1.2M
- Median loan
- $145K
- average
- 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
- 3
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Children’s Art Classes's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 3 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 6 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage children's art franchise with undocumented financial claims, implausible profit margins, and rapid growth from minimal unit base creates moderate-to-high uncertainty around sustainability and return projections.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
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 29 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial performance representations disclosed — cannot independently verify the $138,515 average revenue claim
- 02MINORUnusually high net income ($132,335) relative to gross revenue ($138,515) suggests 95.6% profit margin, which is unrealistic and raises data quality concerns
- 03MINORRoyalty structure creates ambiguity: $500 minimum monthly royalty means locations with <$6,061 revenue pay disproportionately high rates (8.25%+)
- 04MEDRapid unit growth (33.3% YoY) from small base (14 units) indicates early-stage system with limited operational track record and sustainability data
- 05MINORHigh initial investment range ($134K–$264K) combined with unverified financials creates significant risk exposure
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 | Radius/Population based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 45,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | 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 | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 54 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 42 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Sawyer Tools
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Sawyer Tools
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
48 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Children’s Art Classes · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Children’s Art Classes franchise?
The total investment to open a Children’s Art Classes franchise ranges from $134K – $264K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Children’s Art Classes franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Children’s Art Classes FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $139K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Children’s Art Classes's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Children’s Art Classes (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 Children’s Art Classes franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Children’s Art Classes has 14 total units in the United States, including 12 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Children’s Art Classes a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Children’s Art Classes as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 29 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.