Quick Verdict · who it fits
The Goddard School fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature child services concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$1.0M - $8.9M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$135K
Royalty (Item 6)
7% + 4% ad
System size (Item 20)
665 +23
Agreement term
15 yrs
Years in business
24+ yrs
Item 3 litigation
1 suit
Model The Goddard School's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
•No exclusive territory•Owner-operator required✓No bankruptcy disclosed•1 Item 3 case
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 7% + ad fund 4% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (7%)
—
Ad fund (4%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
665
Total units open
Not disclosed
Units opened last year
1
Units closed last year
Not disclosed
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How The Goddard School ranks against 137 Child Services & Education peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
87th pct · of 137 peers
Franchise fee
98th pct · of 137 peers
System size
97th pct · of 137 peers
Child Services & Education industry averages
Avg investment
$373K - $1.1M
Avg franchise fee
$46K
Avg system size
96
Franchises analyzed
137
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Goddard School | Disclosed | $135K | $1.0M - $8.9M | 7% | 665 |
| Kiddie Academy DomesticSimilar price | Disclosed | $150K | $590K - $8.5M | 7% | 363 |
| Kumon North AmericaBiggest system | None | $2K | $102K - $234K | — | 1,705 |
| Uatp ManagementTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $100K | $2.9M - $5.4M | 7% | 202 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
The Goddard School requires a $135,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $1,003,500–$8,908,000, per the most recent FDD on file.
The Goddard School is franchised by Goddard Franchisor LLC (f/k/a Goddard Systems, LLC), the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. The Goddard School discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 7% and an advertising fund contribution of 4% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, The Goddard School has 665 total locations, with 23 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
No. The Goddard School does not grant exclusive territory rights under Item 12. The franchisor retains the right to operate or grant additional units inside or adjacent to your trade area.
Per the FDD, The Goddard School discloses an initial agreement term of 15 years. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt