Montessori Kids UniverseFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Montessori Kids Universe franchise requires a total initial investment of $782K – $1.7M, including a $75K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.3M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 9.1% charge-off rate across 40 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $782K – $1.7M
- 62nd pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- 36th pct Education
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 17th pct Education
- Units
- 19
- 36th pct Education
- SBA default
- 9.1%
- 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
Franchised units fell from 19 to 16 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $782K – $1.7M including a $75K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.3M/year (median $1.4M).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 29/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 9.1% across 40 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Montessori School Franchising LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None
- CEO title
- Co-Founder, Manager and CEO
- Nancy P. Boehm
- CEO experience
- 2012 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 4521 PGA Boulevard, Suite 156, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418
- Auditor
- DASH Business Solutions, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.1M
- vs $2.1M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate Montessori-based early childhood education centers (typically preschool/pre-K), managing classroom instruction, staff hiring/training, parent communications, and facility operations. Revenue comes from tuition fees, enrollment capacity, and ancillary services (summer camps, extended care). Operations are labor-intensive with high fixed costs (facility rent, teacher salaries, curriculum licensing).
- CEO
- Nancy P. Boehm
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2012
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 9
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 24 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $75K | $75K | |
| Architect/Space Planner | $10K | $50K | |
| Build Out and Leasehold Improvements | $300K | $750K | |
| Playground Design, Surfacing, Equipment and Fencing | $95K | $150K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Decor and Montessori Materials for 3 classrooms | $150K | $350K | |
| Office Furniture and Equipment | $3K | $5K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Computers and Tablets | $5K | $8K | |
| Internal Camera System | $7K | $9K | |
| New Owner Training, per person attending | — | — | |
| Montessori Teacher Training | $750 | $750 | |
| Children and Staff Uniforms | $800 | $2K | |
| Rent / Security Deposit | $25K | $35K | |
| Lease Guarantee Feenot refundable | $0 | $30K | |
| Pre-Opening Marketing Campaign | $2K | $3K | |
| ProCare Management Software, License and Training | $129 | $129 | |
| Line Leader CRM System | $179 | $179 | |
| Montessori Compass Record Keeping and Assessment Software | $250 | $750 | |
| Utility Deposits | $250 | $500 | |
| Insurance | $2K | $2K | |
| Total initial investment | $782K | $1.7M |
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
$169K
13.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
12%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
8.2 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $782K – $1.7M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $200K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $75K – $105K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Training fee | $750 |
| Transfer fee | $38K |
| Renewal fee | $38K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.4M
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 16 units
- vs category median 14
- Range (low → high)
- $770K→$2.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 237 Education brands
vs Education averages
How Montessori Kids Universe Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 19
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Turnover rate
- 15.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +18.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 18
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 17 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
- 40
- Loan volume
- $29.9M
- Median loan
- $325K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 9.1%
- 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)
- 90.9%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 18
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Montessori Kids Universe'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 10 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 9-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
Early-stage Montessori franchise with litigation history involving fraud allegations, undisclosed profitability, questionable going concern status, and minimal unit growth — presents HIGH RISK for capital recovery and operational support.
Litigation (Item 3)
Two settled cases: (1) Virginia SCC enforcement action regarding unregistered franchise sales, settled November 9, 2017 with $10,000 penalty and $5,000 costs; case dismissed January 16, 2020. (2) Arbitration by former franchisee 4Qul Franchise of Houston, LLC for trademark misuse, deceptive trade practices, and fraud; settled for $70,000.
Largest disclosed settlement: $70,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · DASH Business Solutions, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- 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 29 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHTwo settlements within 3 years (2017 & 2019) indicating systemic compliance and ethics issues, including fraud allegations
- 02MINOROnly 19 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests stagnant or declining system; minimal scale for support infrastructure
- 03MEDNo Item 19 (average unit economics) disclosed — inability or unwillingness to share net income data is a major transparency red flag
- 04HIGHGoing Concern status = FALSE suggests franchisor may have financial instability or legal impediments to operations
- 05MEDHigh initial investment ($782K–$1.7M) relative to disclosed average revenue ($1.3M) leaves razor-thin margins before 7% royalty, rent, and labor
- 06HIGH2019 fraud and deceptive trade practices settlement indicates franchisees have pursued legal action for misrepresentation
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius/Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 75,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two settled cases: (1) Virginia SCC enforcement action regarding unregistered franchise sales, settled November 9, 2017 with $10,000 penalty and $5,000 costs; case dismissed January 16, 2020. (2) Arbitration by former franchisee 4Qul Franchise of Houston, LLC for trademark misuse, deceptive trade practices, and fraud; settled for $70,000.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 116 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 8 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- ProCare
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ProCare
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
48 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Montessori Kids Universe · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Montessori Kids Universe franchise?
The total investment to open a Montessori Kids Universe franchise ranges from $782K – $1.7M, with an initial franchise fee of $75K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Montessori Kids Universe franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Montessori Kids Universe FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.3M. The median is $1.4M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Montessori Kids Universe's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Montessori Kids Universe has a charge-off rate of 9.1% across 40 loans, meaning 9.1% 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 Montessori Kids Universe franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Montessori Kids Universe has 19 total units in the United States, including 19 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Montessori Kids Universe a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Montessori Kids Universe as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 29 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.