Willowbrae Academy Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Willowbrae Academy is an early education franchise operating preschools and childcare centers. Franchisees run the schools, managing teachers, curriculum, enrollment, and licensing compliance.
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). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $2.4M – $4.0M
- 78th pct Education
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 0 outlets
- Royalty
- 8.5%
- 52nd pct Education
- Units
- 0
- 0th 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 $2.4M – $4.0M including a $85K franchise fee, 8.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 38/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- W&M Franchising USA, Ltd.
- Parent company
- W & M Childcare Franchising Inc.
- Predecessor
- Learning Tree Childcare Centres
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO
- Shawn Pattison
- Incorporated in
- Texas
- HQ
- 18 South Main Street, Suite 700, Temple, Texas 76501
Overview
About
- CEO
- Shawn Pattison
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2024
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 0
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 382% above the typical education franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 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
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $175K – $300K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $85K – $85K
- Bottom third — review 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 |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Willowbrae Academy 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 Willowbrae Academy unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
3%
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
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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 9.0% — below the Education average of 10.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 Willowbrae Academy Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 0
- 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)
- 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.
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
Brand-new pre-opening childcare franchisor (begins 2025) with zero units, unaudited financials, and flagged financial distress that is early-stage (distress_is_early_stage=true). Per rubric, early-stage startup distress is treated as minor. No litigation or bankruptcy; limited history is the main risk.
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 38 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPre-opening: zero units, no operating history
- 02MINORFinancial distress flagged but early-stage (treated as minor)
- 03MINORFinancials not audited
- 04MINORNo litigation, no bankruptcy
- 05MINORNo Item 19 (expected for pre-opening)
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% 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 |
| 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
2 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 Item 19 in the Willowbrae Academy 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 Willowbrae Academy FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 38 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?
If you represent Willowbrae Academy, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.