Goddard Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Goddard franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Goddard discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2025 data: 620 mature schools averaged $4.1M gross revenue, 36% EBITDA; 37 new schools averaged $2.4M revenue, 21% EBITDA. Unaudited, franchisee-reported, high variance across units.
What a Goddard franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $135,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 4% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 11% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $1,003,500 – $8,908,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
7% royalty + 4% marketing fund due monthly. Multiple opening fees ($35-75K marketing, $35K training, $35K site dev). Development/transfer/renewal fees apply. No financing offered directly.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Goddard system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 665 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Closure rate | 0.2% of outlets |
1 mature school closed in 2025 after 12+ months operation; data limited.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Goddard worth it? — how it compares to 60 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 11% of sales | steeper than 80% of children's education & childcare franchises |
| Startup cost | from $1,003,500 | pricier than 83% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 75% of children's education & childcare franchises |
| Closure rate | 0.2% of outlets | better than most (median 1.4%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | more litigious than 65% of peers |
Benchmarked against every children's education & childcare franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Goddard
The franchisor's framing: 2025 data: 620 mature schools averaged $4.1M gross revenue, 36% EBITDA; 37 new schools ave… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Goddard franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Goddard franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,003,500–$8,908,000, including a $135,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Goddard franchise owners make?
- 2025 data: 620 mature schools averaged $4.1M gross revenue, 36% EBITDA; 37 new schools averaged $2.4M revenue, 21% EBITDA. Unaudited, franchisee-reported, high variance across units. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Goddard franchise fees?
- Goddard's FDD discloses a $135,000 initial franchise fee, a 7% royalty on gross sales, a 4% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 11% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 7% royalty + 4% marketing fund due monthly. Multiple opening fees ($35-75K marketing, $35K training, $35K site dev). Development/transfer/renewal fees apply. No financing offered directly.
- What is the Goddard franchise profit margin?
- Goddard does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 2025 data: 620 mature schools averaged $4.1M gross revenue, 36% EBITDA; 37 new schools averaged $2.4M revenue, 21% EBITDA. Unaudited, franchisee-reported, high variance across units. Recurring fees alone take about 11% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Goddard franchise failure rate?
- 1 mature school closed in 2025 after 12+ months operation; data limited.
- How many Goddard locations are there?
- Goddard's FDD reports 665 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Goddard have complaints or lawsuits?
- Goddard discloses 1 legal matter in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Goddard franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Goddard scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 11% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Goddard to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36432-202604-09 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Goddard or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.