Gold Medal Swim School Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Gold Medal Swim School is a children's education franchise offering swim lessons and swim team programs for kids and adults. Franchisees run local operations, managing instructors, scheduling, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Gold Medal Swim School franchise requires a total initial investment of $553K – $1.1M, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $553K – $1.1M
- 66th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 1 outlet
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 6th pct Education
- Units
- 1
- 2nd 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 $553K – $1.1M including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 34/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Gold Medal Swim School Franchises, LLC
- CEO title
- Owner, Manager
- Mike Walker
- CEO experience
- 23 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- AZ
- HQ
- 6909 W. Ray Rd. #27, Chandler, AZ 85226
- Auditor
- JDS Professional Group
- Audited financials
Overview
About
- CEO
- Mike Walker
- Headquarters
- AZ
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 28% above the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown3 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Equipment, Software, Telephone and Internet Services | $4K | $10K | |
| Signage | $5K | $20K | |
| Additional Funds (First 3 months) | $50K | $125K | |
| Total initial investment | $59K | $155K |
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
- $553K – $1.1M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $50K – $125K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · 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 | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $30K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $8K – $20K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Gold Medal Swim School 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 Gold Medal Swim School unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
12%
Below 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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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 8.0% — below 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.
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 Gold Medal Swim School Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
A single-unit franchise system with undisclosed financial performance, high capital requirements, and no growth trajectory presents substantial execution and transparency risks.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · JDS Professional Group
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 34 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 1 operating unit despite 15-year franchise history suggests severe system stagnation or recent collapse
- 02MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income (Item 19) prevents ROI validation and indicates potential franchisor reluctance to share performance data
- 03MINORHigh initial investment range ($552.5K–$1.146M) with no published earnings benchmarks creates uncertainty about payback period and profitability thresholds
- 04MINOR6% royalty on gross revenue (not net) is punitive during low-revenue periods and suggests franchisor prioritizes fees over franchisee success
- 05MINORSingle unit makes territory protection claim unverifiable and raises questions about market viability or franchisee support quality
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| 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 | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 20 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Arizona (mediation) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | AZ |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 56 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 34 hrs
- Training location
- Chandler, Arizona or other designated location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 34 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Links
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Links
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
4 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Gold Medal Swim School · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Gold Medal Swim School franchise?
The total investment to open a Gold Medal Swim School franchise ranges from $553K – $1.1M, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Gold Medal Swim School franchise owners earn?
Gold Medal 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 Item 19 in the Gold Medal 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 Gold Medal Swim School FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Gold Medal Swim School's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Gold Medal 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 Gold Medal Swim School franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Gold Medal Swim School has 1 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is Gold Medal Swim School a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Gold Medal Swim School as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 34 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 Gold Medal Swim School, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.