LeafSpring SchoolFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A LeafSpring School franchise requires a total initial investment of $979K – $9.4M, including a $88K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $3.5M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $979K – $9.4M
- 66th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $3.5M
- 46th pct Education
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 13
- 29th pct Education
- SBA default
- 33.3%
- system-wide median varies by category
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.
Franchising since 1999. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 13 to 12 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $979K – $9.4M including a $88K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $3.5M/year (median $3.9M), with an estimated 10% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- PRISM, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Vance H. Spilman
- CEO experience
- 2015 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- VA
- HQ
- 4551 Cox Road, Suite 310, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060
- Auditor
- Kositzka, Wicks and Company
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.3M
- vs $2.5M prior year
Overview
About
LeafSpring School franchisees operate private educational institutions serving K-12 students, managing curriculum delivery, staff hiring/training, facility operations, and enrollment marketing. Day-to-day responsibilities include overseeing classroom instruction, parent communication, financial management, and compliance with state education regulations.
- CEO
- Vance H. Spilman
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 1999
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 47 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Build To Suit / Lease)not refundable | $88K | $88K | |
| Rent and Security Deposit - Real Estate and Improvements | $40K | $80K | |
| Utility Deposits | $5K | $10K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (One-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $235K | $255K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (Two-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $310K | $330K | |
| Playground (One-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $189K | $252K | |
| Playground (Two-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $236K | $330K | |
| Start-Up Marketing (Build To Suit) | $20K | $30K | |
| Information Technology (One-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $25K | $35K | |
| Information Technology (Two-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $30K | $40K | |
| Insurance (One-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $20K | $25K | |
| Insurance (Two-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $25K | $30K | |
| Professional Fees/Licenses (One-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $4K | $7K | |
| Professional Fees/Licenses (Two-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $4K | $11K | |
| Training-Related Expenses (Build To Suit) | $3K | $7K | |
| Working Capital (One-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $350K | $350K | |
| Working Capital (Two-Building Campus, Build To Suit) | $450K | $450K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (Franchisee Owns Real Estate)not refundable | $88K | $88K | |
| Real Estate Purchase (One-Building Campus) | $795K | $1.1M | |
| Real Estate Purchase (Two-Building Campus) | $935K | $1.5M | |
| Total initial investment | $15.4M | $18.0M |
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
$601K
17.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
11%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
9.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $979K – $9.4M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $350K – $450K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $88K – $88K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- Opening to 3rd month: 0% of Gross Sales; 4th to 12th mont…
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Payback period
- 9.9 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $9K |
| Renewal fee | $9K |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.5M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $3.9M
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $525K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 10.1%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 10 units
- vs category median 14
- Range (low → high)
- $2.2M→$4.8M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 7 / 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 LeafSpring School Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 13
- 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
- 92%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- -7.7%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +9.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 7.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 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 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $12.6M
- Median loan
- $1.7M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 33.3%
- 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)
- 50.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 50.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into LeafSpring School'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 3 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 3-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Contracting franchise system with declining unit count, unclear cost drivers, and thin profit margins warrants caution despite no litigation.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kositzka, Wicks and Company
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 7.7% YoY (13 total units) indicates contracting system and potential market saturation or operational issues
- 02MINORWide investment range ($978K–$9.4M) suggests highly variable unit economics and unclear cost structure across territories
- 03HIGHNo going concern statement despite declining unit base raises questions about franchisor financial stability and long-term viability
- 04MINORRoyalty structure front-loaded with 0% Year 1 then jumps to 6% suggests potential cash flow pressure for franchisees in years 4+
- 05MEDAverage net income of $525K on $3.54M revenue (14.8% margin) is thin for education sector and leaves limited buffer for underperformance
- 06MEDMissing Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) prevents validation of average unit economics claims
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 | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 15 years |
| Territory type | Specific geographic area with minimum population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 2,500 |
| 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 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 61 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 24 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Procare
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Procare
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
16 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
LeafSpring School · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a LeafSpring School franchise?
The total investment to open a LeafSpring School franchise ranges from $979K – $9.4M, with an initial franchise fee of $88K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do LeafSpring School franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the LeafSpring School FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $3.5M. The median is $3.9M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is LeafSpring School's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for LeafSpring 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 LeafSpring School franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, LeafSpring School has 13 total units in the United States, including 13 franchised units and 1 company-owned units.
Is LeafSpring School a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates LeafSpring School as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent LeafSpring School, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther 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.