The Learning Experience
Education & Child Enrichment · Early Childhood Education
- Active units
- 386
- Avg unit volume
- $2.2M
- Royalty
- 7.0%
Franchised, year-end 2024
of weekly Net Sales
About The Learning Experience
The brand operates brick-and-mortar centers specializing in early education for infants through kindergarteners. The business model utilizes a proprietary curriculum that incorporates character-based instruction to focus on cognitive, social, and emotional development. Facilities are purpose-built and offer a range of programs including daycare, preschool, and summer camps. The educational framework includes subjects such as phonics, STEAM activities, and sign language.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$60k
- Multiple Franchise Center Addendum
four franchise fees reduced by 30% when signing MFC Addendum
- Brand fund
1.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
9,000 – 15,000 sq ft
- Multiple Franchise Center (MFC) Addendum – 4 units
$168k
- Veteran discount
20.0% off franchise fee — military veteran’s program discounts the initial franchise fee by 20%
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 locations436
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings57
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate13.0%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR15.6%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio11.4×
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 rate6.3%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$1.2M
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 returns—
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 492 of 643 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.