Marigold AcademyFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Marigold Academy franchise requires a total initial investment of $847K – $2.4M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.4M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $847K – $2.4M
- 63rd pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $2.4M
- 42nd pct Education
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 17th pct Education
- Units
- 2
- 8th 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
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $847K – $2.4M including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $2.4M/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 46/100.
- Revenue data based on only 1 reporting unit. Treat as directional, not definitive. Ask franchisees directly for current unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Marigold Academy LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 156 Washington Street, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003
- Auditor
- DA Advisory Group PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
Marigold Academy franchisees operate early childhood education centers, managing day-to-day curriculum delivery, staff hiring/training, student enrollment, parent communication, and facility operations. Daily responsibilities include classroom supervision, activity planning, regulatory compliance (licensing/safety), and revenue generation through tuition collection from families.
- CEO
- Jignesh (Jay) Shah
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $163K | $220K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $633K | $2.1M |
| Total initial investment | $847K | $2.4M |
Source: Marigold 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
$354K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
19%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.1 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $847K – $2.4M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $163K – $220K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $750 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.4M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Affiliate Results
- Sample size
- 1 units
- vs category median 14 · small
- Transparency
- 9 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 237 Education brands
vs Education averages
How Marigold Academy Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 2
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Marigold Academy presents CAUTION-to-HIGH RISK due to minimal system validation (2 units only), unprotected territory, going concern status, and insufficient financial disclosure to justify $846k+ entry investment.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · DA Advisory Group PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 46 / 100 rating
- 01MEDOnly 2 units in system with unknown growth trajectory indicates extremely limited track record and franchisee success validation
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status = False suggests financial viability questions at corporate level
- 03MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk within your market and cannibalization potential
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($846k-$2.4M) against only 2 operating units provides minimal comparable performance data
- 05MINOR7% royalty on $2.5M average revenue = $177.5k/year ongoing cost on already-thin 25.6% net margins
- 06MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representations limits ability to validate franchisee profitability claims
- 07MINORExtremely small franchise system creates survival risk if either existing unit fails
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 | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| 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 | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- POS system
- ProCare
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ProCare
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Marigold Academy · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Marigold Academy franchise?
The total investment to open a Marigold Academy franchise ranges from $847K – $2.4M, 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 Marigold Academy franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Marigold Academy FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.4M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Marigold Academy's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Marigold Academy (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 Marigold Academy franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Marigold Academy has 2 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 2 company-owned units.
Is Marigold Academy a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Marigold Academy as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 46 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.