Lightbridge AcademyFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Lightbridge Academy franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.0M – $7.6M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.6M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 41 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.0M – $7.6M
- 67th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $2.6M
- 43rd pct Education
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 17th pct Education
- Units
- 81
- 54th pct Education
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- 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 0.6x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Only 0.0% of 41 SBA loans charged off, well below the 16% franchise average.
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.0M – $7.6M including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.6M/year (median $2.6M), with an estimated 10% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 20/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 41 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System growing at 24.0% CAGR over 3 years with 81 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC
- Parent company
- Lightbridge Holdings Group, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- NJ
- HQ
- 116 Grand Street, 2nd Floor, Iselin, NJ 08830
- Auditor
- Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $15.5M
- vs $17.9M prior year
Overview
About
Lightbridge Academy franchisees operate licensed childcare and early education centers serving infants through pre-K students. Day-to-day operations include staffing management (typically 15–40+ employees), curriculum delivery, parent communication, compliance with state regulations, facility maintenance, and enrollment marketing. Revenue is generated through monthly tuition fees, with success dependent on high occupancy rates (typically 80%+ target) and staff retention in a competitive labor market.
- CEO
- Gigi Schweikert
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2010
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 9
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $150K | $300K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $840K | $7.3M |
| Total initial investment | $1.0M | $7.6M |
Source: Lightbridge Academy 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$364K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
8%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
12.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.0M – $7.6M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $150K – $300K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 10.5 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.6M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.6M
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $411K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 9.5%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Actual
- Sample size
- 63 units
- vs category median 14 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $1.5M→$4.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 8 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 237 Education brands
Revenue is only 0.6x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Education averages
How Lightbridge Academy Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 81
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 19
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 77%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 16.7%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +12.7%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +24.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 8 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 41
- Loan volume
- $62.2M
- Median loan
- $975K
- 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
- 12
- Defaults
- 0
Vintage analysis
Lightbridge Academy charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Lightbridge Academy'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 11 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 9-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 41 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Lightbridge Academy presents moderate-to-cautionary risk: solid fundamentals (no litigation, positive net income, growing units) are offset by unprotected territory, wide investment variance, modest margins, and labor-intensive business model requiring flawless execution.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 20 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo territory protection exposes franchisees to direct competition from other Lightbridge locations
- 02MEDWide investment range ($1.0M–$7.6M) suggests inconsistent unit economics or hidden costs not fully disclosed
- 03MINORModest net income ($411K average) yields only 15.8% net margin on average revenue, resulting in ~3.9-year payback period before ROI
- 04MINOR12.7% YoY unit growth is healthy but modest for a franchisor, suggesting market saturation or franchisee acquisition challenges
- 05MINORHigh royalty rate (7%) combined with unprotected territory creates pressure on franchisee profitability in competitive markets
- 06MINORChildcare is labor-intensive with thin margins; operational execution risk is high and turnover-dependent
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 87 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 90 hrs
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
56 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Lightbridge Academy · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Lightbridge Academy franchise?
The total investment to open a Lightbridge Academy franchise ranges from $1.0M – $7.6M, 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 Lightbridge Academy franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Lightbridge Academy FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.6M. The median is $2.6M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Lightbridge Academy's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Lightbridge Academy has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 41 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 Lightbridge Academy franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Lightbridge Academy has 81 total units in the United States, including 50 franchised units and 19 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Lightbridge Academy a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Lightbridge Academy as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 20 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.