Goldfish Swim School Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Goldfish Swim School is a kids' education franchise teaching swimming and water safety to infants through school-age children. Franchisees run an indoor pool facility managing certified instructors, class scheduling, and member enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Goldfish Swim School franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.7M – $3.7M, including a $50K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.0M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 106 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.7M – $3.7M
- 77th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $2.0M
- 30th pct Education
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 199
- 72nd pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
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 $1.7M – $3.7M including a $50K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $2.0M/year (median $1.8M), with an estimated 11% cash-on-cash return (based on PROFIT BEFORE OTHER EXPENSES (8)).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 99/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 106 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 23.9% CAGR over 3 years with 199 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Goldfish Swim School Franchising LLC
- CEO title
- Managing Member and CEO
- Chris McCuiston
- Incorporated in
- MI
- HQ
- 2701 Industrial Row Drive, Troy, Michigan 48084
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $31.7M
- vs $30.5M prior year
Affiliated brands
- MFO Fitchburg
- MFO West Bloomfield
- provides a location for training
- Goldfish Swim School
- MFO Knapps Crossing
- MFO Grandville
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Chris McCuiston
- Headquarters
- MI
- Founded
- 2008
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 40
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 308% above the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Feenot refundable | $40K | $50K | |
| Real Estate Fee | $0 | $3K | |
| Real Estate / Rent | $0 | $82K | |
| Architectural Fees | $35K | $85K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $1.3M | $2.7M | |
| Insurance | $4K | $6K | |
| Training | $17K | $37K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment, Computers, and Decor | $100K | $127K | |
| Initial Advertising Expense | $30K | $70K | |
| Licenses, Permits, & Deposits | $5K | $80K | |
| Legal & Accounting | $9K | $35K | |
| Project Manager/Owner's Representative | $15K | $45K | |
| Water Tap Fees | $0 | $93K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $75K | $350K | |
| Area Development Feenot refundable | $70K | $70K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.7M | $3.8M |
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
- $1.7M – $3.7M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $75K – $350K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of $4,000/month or 6% of gross sales (after initi…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 8.8 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $700 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 150% above the education norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
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
$299K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
10%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
9.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings vs. model
The FDD reports $561K as PROFIT BEFORE OTHER EXPENSES (8). Our model estimates $299K SLEBITDA from the same revenue using category-average cost assumptions. These numbers differ because PROFIT BEFORE OTHER EXPENSES (8) deducts different expense categories than our model.
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Goldfish 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.
10%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Goldfish Swim School units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
33.0%
4.16× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
2.45×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$6.2M
on $16.0M purchase
Total debt
$9.8M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
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
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.0M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.8M
- Avg profit before other expenses (8)
- $561K
- Reported as PROFIT BEFORE OTHER EXPENSES (8) in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 11.4%
- Based on PROFIT BEFORE OTHER EXPENSES (8) / investment midpoint
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- income statement
- Sample size
- 169 outlets
- vs category median 17 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $529K→$6.4M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $1.4M→$2.4M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 10 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 204 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.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $2.0M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.7x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% — below the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 10/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 23.9% CAGR over 3 years across 199 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 Goldfish Swim School Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 199
- Opened
- 23
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.5%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +23.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +23.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 23
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 8
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 2
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 40 states 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.
40
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.
- Total loans
- 106
- Loan volume
- $165.1M
- Median loan
- $1.5M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 30
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 6.5%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 12.5%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 4,769
- 2.9 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 20%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 85% went to startups / new businesses, 15% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in sports and recreation instruction, franchised businesses charge off at 12.5% vs 14.2% for independents — franchising is associated with 12% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Goldfish Swim School charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Goldfish Swim School franchisees
Showing 3 of 30 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Goldfish Swim School's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 15-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 106 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Goldfish presents moderate risk: high capital requirements, aggressive royalties, and unvalidated financial claims in a labor-intensive, seasonally-sensitive market require thorough franchisee validation.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $50,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Plante & Moran, PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 99 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORHigh initial investment ($1.66M-$3.75M) with moderate unit growth (11.6% YoY) creates longer payback period risk
- 02MINORDual-tier royalty structure (greater of $1,250/mo or 6%) is aggressive; at $1.99M avg revenue, 6% royalty = ~$119,400/year in perpetuity
- 03MINORAverage net income of $560,524 on $1.99M revenue (28% margin) appears optimistic for swim instruction (labor-intensive, seasonal demand, facility overhead)
- 04MINORModerate unit growth (11.6% YoY on 199 units = ~23 new locations) suggests market saturation or franchisee satisfaction plateau
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 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| 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 | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Oakland County, Michigan |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | MI |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 82 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 34 hrs
- Training location
- Troy, Michigan (HQ) and designated locations
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 20 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval; franchisor provides criteria and review
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- iClassPro Enterprise Portal
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: iClassPro Enterprise Portal
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
14 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Goldfish Swim School · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Goldfish Swim School franchise?
The total investment to open a Goldfish Swim School franchise ranges from $1.7M – $3.7M, 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 Goldfish Swim School franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Goldfish Swim School FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.0M. The median is $1.8M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Goldfish 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 Goldfish Swim School FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Goldfish Swim School's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Goldfish Swim School has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 106 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Goldfish Swim School franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Goldfish Swim School has 199 total units in the United States, including 192 franchised units and 7 company-owned units. 23 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Goldfish Swim School a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Goldfish Swim School as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 99 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?
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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.