Lightbridge Academy
Education & Child Enrichment · Early Childhood Education
- Active units
- 68
- Royalty
- 7.0%
Franchised, year-end 2025
of weekly Net Sales
About Lightbridge Academy
The brand operates brick-and-mortar learning centers that offer a proprietary curriculum alongside child care services for working families. Its business model is built on a philosophy that integrates the needs of children, parents, teachers, and center owners through a unified support system. Facilities utilize technology such as secure internet monitoring for parents and digital communication apps to track student progress. In addition to core early education, centers may offer summer camps and supplemental programs for school-aged children.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$50k
- Brand fund
3.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
10,000 – 14,600 sq ft
- Multi-Unit Operator Agreement – Development Rights Fee (Two Centers)
$75k
- Multi-Unit Operator Agreement – Development Rights Fee (Three Centers)
$95k
- Multi-Unit Operator Agreement – Development Rights Fee (Four Centers)
$110k
- Multi-Unit Operator Agreement – Development Rights Fee (Five Centers)
$125k
- Veteran discount
10.0% off franchise fee — 10% reduction off the Initial Franchise Fee (and Development Rights Fee, if applicable)
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations68
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings8
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate9.7%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR11.2%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio4.0×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate8.6%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin14.7%
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$1.7M
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open—
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
- Royalty rate7.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio—
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns20.5%
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
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Location footprint
Showing 144 of 315 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.