The Goddard School
Education & Child Enrichment · Early Childhood Education
- Active units
- 665
- Royalty
- 7.0%
Franchised, year-end 2025
of weekly Net Sales
About The Goddard School
The franchise operates brick-and-mortar centers that deliver a play-based curriculum focusing on social-emotional growth and academic preparation. Each location is independently owned and serves families through programs ranging from infant care and preschool to kindergarten and after-school enrichment. The model utilizes specific curriculum standards and includes enrichment activities such as STEAM, music, and physical education. Centers typically offer full-day schedules to support working families.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$135k
- Existing franchisee additional unit
Initial license fee reduced to $60,000 for qualifying existing franchisees purchasing an additional franchise
- Purchase of existing operating franchise
Initial license fee is $40,000 for buyers of an existing operating Goddard School franchise
- Development Agreement credit
$50,000 of development fee applied toward each franchise’s initial license fee
- Brand fund
4.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
10,000 – 12,500 sq ft
- Development Agreement - Development Fee
$60k
- Real Estate Support Program - Project Management Fee (per school)
$30k
- Veteran discount
20000.0% off franchise fee — $20,000 discount on first franchise initial license fee for honorably discharged U.S. veterans (Vet*Fran)
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 locations665
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings24
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate3.6%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR3.0%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio24.0×
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 rate5.9%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin21.6%
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$5.0M
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open21 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - 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 returns10.5%
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 555 of 668 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.