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indicates the clear winner per row. Ties and missing data are not highlighted.
How winners are chosen
Lower is better for investment, liquid capital, franchise fee, royalty and ad-fund rates, SBA charge-off rate, and owner turnover.
Higher is better for disclosed revenue and owner earnings, verdict score, total units, net unit growth, and franchisee contacts. For the letter grade, A ranks highest.
A row is highlighted only when one brand clearly leads. Ties are never highlighted, and missing data never counts as a win. Some rows (earnings-metric type, loan counts, contract terms) are informational and have no winner.
These brands report different earnings metrics (EBITDA / Average 380,317, P&L Bottom Line). Financial figures may not be directly comparable.
Focus by buyer type
| Brand |  AStrongest tierLightbridge Academy Education 2025 FDD Remove |  BAbove averageDucklings Early Learning Center Education 2025 FDD Remove |
|---|---|---|
| Vitals | ||
FDD filing | FDD issued Apr 10, 2025 | FDD issued Apr 30, 2025 |
Investment range | $1.0M – $2.7M | $993K – $2.2M |
Liquid capital | $150K – $300K | $250K – $360K |
Franchise fee | $50K | $55K |
Royalty rate | 7.0% | 3.0% |
Ad fund rate | 2.0% | 1.0% |
| Performance | ||
Avg gross sales | $2.5MCombined outlet types | $1.8MIncl. company outlets |
Median gross sales | $2.6MCombined outlet types | $1.7MIncl. company outlets |
Avg owner earnings Metric varies by brand. Check type below | $380K | Not extracted |
Earnings metric | EBITDA / Average 380,317 | P&L Bottom Line |
| Risk | ||
Rating | AStrongest tier | BAbove average |
Verdict score | 94 / 100 | 60 / 100 |
SBA charge-off rate | 0.0% (n=41) | Limited · 10 loans |
SBA loans on record | 41 | 10 |
| Scale | ||
Total units | 81 | 14 |
Net change (latest yr) | +7 | +3 |
Signed, not yet open | 117 (1.44 per open outlet) | 6 (0.43 per open outlet) |
Turnover rate | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Contract | ||
Initial term (years) | 15 | 10 |
Renewal term (years) | 5 | 10 |
Initial training (hrs) | 177 | 109 |
| Contacts | ||
Franchisee phones | 56 | 31 |
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