Willowbrae AcademyFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Willowbrae Academy franchise requires a total initial investment of $2.4M – $4.0M, including a $85K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.5% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $2.4M – $4.0M
- 70th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 47th pct Education
- Royalty
- 8.5%
- 42nd pct Education
- Units
- 0
- 0th 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 2025. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $2.4M – $4.0M including a $85K franchise fee, 8.5% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 65/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- W&M Franchising USA Ltd.
- Parent company
- W & M Childcare Franchising Inc.
- Predecessor
- Parent
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 18 South Main Street, Suite 700, Temple, Texas 76501
Overview
About
Willowbrae Academy franchisees operate a private educational institution, managing curriculum delivery, student enrollment, staff hiring/training, facilities operations, and compliance with state/local education regulations. Day-to-day responsibilities include administrative oversight, parent/student relations, quality assurance of instruction, and business development to meet enrollment targets needed to cover the $10K monthly minimum royalty obligation.
- CEO
- Shawn Pattison
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2024
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 0
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Feenot refundable | $85K | $85K | |
| Initial Training Feenot refundable | $20K | $20K | |
| Office and Administration Feenot refundable | $15K | $15K | |
| Lease Depositnot refundable | $30K | $140K | |
| Rentnot refundable | $300K | $800K | |
| Utility Depositsnot refundable | $2K | $8K | |
| Construction and Supervision Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $1.4M | $2.5M | |
| Furniturenot refundable | $250K | $370K | |
| Equipment, Fixtures and Signagenot refundable | $300K | $425K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $7K | $12K | |
| Permits and Licensesnot refundable | $6K | $20K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $150K | $225K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Fundnot refundable | $17K | $17K | |
| Travel Expenses for Trainingnot refundable | $8K | $20K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $7K | $20K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months)not refundable | $175K | $300K | |
| Total initial investment | $2.8M | $5.0M |
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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $2.4M – $4.0M
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $175K – $300K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $85K – $85K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 8.5%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $495 |
| Transfer fee | $2 |
| Renewal fee | $25K |
| Inventory (initial) | $150K – $225K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Education averages
How Willowbrae Academy Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 0
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
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
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 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
Zero operating units, undisclosed financials, going concern status, and a $2.4M+ investment with fixed $10K/month royalties make this a high-risk franchise with no proof of concept.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $1
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
No audited financials on file
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 65 / 100 rating
- 01MINORZero existing franchise units with unknown growth trajectory indicates brand has never successfully scaled or is in early/failed launch phase
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status = False suggests franchisor financial instability or viability concerns
- 03MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents realistic ROI calculation on $2.4M–$4M investment
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($2.4M–$4M) paired with mandatory $10K monthly minimum royalty creates significant fixed-cost burden regardless of sales performance
- 05MINOR10-year term is lengthy commitment with no demonstrated unit economics or franchisee success stories to validate model
- 06MINOREducation/academy sector requires substantial local market penetration and reputation—franchisees bear reputational and regulatory risk for unproven brand
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 42 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisor
- POS system
- Braeview
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Braeview
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
19 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Willowbrae Academy · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Willowbrae Academy franchise?
The total investment to open a Willowbrae Academy franchise ranges from $2.4M – $4.0M, with an initial franchise fee of $85K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Willowbrae Academy franchise owners earn?
Willowbrae Academy 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 Willowbrae Academy's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Willowbrae 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.
Is Willowbrae Academy a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Willowbrae Academy as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 65 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.