Water Wings Swim School Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Water Wings Swim School is a children's education franchise offering learn-to-swim lessons and water safety programs. Franchisees run local operations, managing instructors, scheduling, and enrollment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Water Wings Swim School franchise requires a total initial investment of $994K – $1.4M, including a $50K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $994K – $1.4M
- 74th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 12
- 31st pct Education
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Education · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Education avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $994K – $1.4M including a $50K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 Table 1 Column 1 discloses average GROSS SALES of $1,639,380 across 6 locations, and average EBITDA of $628,698 separately in Column 9 - which is already stored in avg_net_income. An earlier version of this note said the $1.6M WAS EBITDA and therefore operating profit rather than gross revenue. That was false, and it inverted the caveat: it told a reader our headline revenue figure was profit. Note 2 of the filing carries the franchisor's own gross-is-not-profit language.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- WW Franchise, LLC
- Parent company
- WW Topco, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- UA Holdings, LLC
- CEO title
- President
- Avi Shafshak
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 2350 Airport Freeway, Suite 505, Bedford, Texas 76022
- Auditor
- Deloitte & Touche LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $151.5M
- vs $194.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Avi Shafshak
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 82% above the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $914K | $1.3M |
| Total initial investment | $994K | $1.4M |
Source: Water Wings Swim School 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $994K – $1.4M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- the greater of 6% of Gross Sales or $2,500 per month
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 3.5 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings vs. model
The FDD reports $629K as EBITDA $9.
Water Wings Swim School did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Water Wings Swim School unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
9%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 Table 1 Column 1 discloses average GROSS SALES of $1,639,380 across 6 locations, and average EBITDA of $628,698 separately in Column 9 - which is already stored in avg_net_income. An earlier version of this note said the $1.6M WAS EBITDA and therefore operating profit rather than gross revenue. That was false, and it inverted the caveat: it told a reader our headline revenue figure was profit. Note 2 of the filing carries the franchisor's own gross-is-not-profit language.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 6 outlets
- vs category median 17 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $1.0M→$2.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- The FDD edition these figures were read from
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 204 Education brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% — below the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Education averages
How Water Wings Swim School Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 12
- 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
- 12
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
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.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Deloitte & Touche LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 41 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPre-opening (is_pre_opening=true), 12 company-owned, 0 franchised
- 02MINOR4 affiliate matters incl. two registration consent orders + $5M UATP settlement
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius/Geographic |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | 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 | Texas |
| Litigation count | 4 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 104 hrs
- POS system
- WW Software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: WW Software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Water Wings Swim School · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Water Wings Swim School franchise?
The total investment to open a Water Wings Swim School franchise ranges from $994K – $1.4M, 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 Water Wings Swim School franchise owners earn?
Water Wings Swim School does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Water Wings Swim School FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Water Wings Swim School FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Water Wings Swim School's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Water Wings Swim 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 Water Wings Swim School franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Water Wings Swim School has 12 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 12 company-owned units.
Is Water Wings Swim School a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Water Wings Swim School as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 41 out of 100 (higher is better), 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?
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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.