The Pineapple SchoolFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Pineapple School franchise requires a total initial investment of $666K – $8.0M, including a $65K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $3.1M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $666K – $8.0M
- 60th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- $3.1M
- 44th pct Education
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 17th pct Education
- Units
- 3
- 11th 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
At 0.7x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
16% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Within the 15-30% range most franchise investors consider acceptable.
Bottom line
- Total investment $666K – $8.0M including a $65K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $3.1M/year (median $3.2M), with an estimated 16% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 59/100.
- Emerging franchise: only 2 years of franchising with 3 units. Early-stage systems carry higher risk but may offer better territory availability.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- The Pineapple School Franchising LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Krisana Puccio
- CEO experience
- 14 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 12222 Huebner Road, San Antonio, Texas 78230
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
Overview
About
The Pineapple School franchisees operate early childhood education centers, managing daily classroom operations, curriculum delivery, staff hiring/training, and parent relations. Franchisees handle enrollment, facility management, compliance with education regulations, and execution of the brand's educational methodology across their protected territory.
- CEO
- Krisana Puccio
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $65K | $65K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $215K | $275K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $386K | $7.6M |
| Total initial investment | $666K | $8.0M |
Source: The Pineapple School 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
$434K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
10%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
10.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $666K – $8.0M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $215K – $275K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $65K – $65K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 6.1 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 | $12K |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $33K |
| Renewal fee | $16K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $3.2M
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $711K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 16.4%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Average
- Sample size
- 3 units
- vs category median 14 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $2.5M→$3.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 10 / 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 The Pineapple School Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 3
- 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
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state 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.
1
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.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage educational franchise with minimal unit count, undisclosed growth, franchisor financial concerns, and unvalidated unit economics creates elevated risk despite moderate profitability claims.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
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
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 59 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 3 units with unknown growth trajectory suggests nascent/stalled system expansion
- 02HIGHGoing Concern = False indicates potential financial instability at franchisor level
- 03MINORMassive investment range ($665K-$8M) with only 3 comps creates unpredictable ROI modeling
- 04MINORNo Item 19 (financial performance) disclosure limits ability to validate $710K avg net income claim
- 05MINOR7% royalty on $3.1M avg revenue = $217K annual ongoing cost with unproven unit economics at scale
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/Population |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Territory population | 10,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| 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 | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Bexar County, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 32 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 88 hrs
- Training location
- San Antonio, Texas
- POS system
- Procare
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Procare
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
The Pineapple School · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Pineapple School franchise?
The total investment to open a The Pineapple School franchise ranges from $666K – $8.0M, with an initial franchise fee of $65K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Pineapple School franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Pineapple School FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $3.1M. The median is $3.2M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is The Pineapple School's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Pineapple 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 The Pineapple School franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Pineapple School has 3 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 3 company-owned units.
Is The Pineapple School a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Pineapple School as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 59 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.