Goldfish Swim School Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Goldfish Swim School franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Goldfish Swim School discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Unaudited 2024 averages for 155 schools open 12+ months: avg revenue $2.15M (95.5% swim lessons), avg profit before other expenses $679K (31.6%). Also table for 19 schools in first full year: avg revenue $1.88M, avg profit $469K.
What a Goldfish Swim School franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 8% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $1,663,263 – $3,746,733 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty: greater of $1,250/mo or 6% sales (first 90 days), then $4,000/mo or 6%; Brand Fund: 2% sales; Tech: $700/mo; Local ad: 2% sales.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Goldfish Swim School system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 177 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 1 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
Zero terminations/non-renewals 2022-2024; 1 transfer in 2024; strong system growth.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Goldfish Swim School worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $1,663,263 | pricier than 93% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 84% of other franchises franchises |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.5%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Goldfish Swim School
The franchisor's framing: Unaudited 2024 averages for 155 schools open 12+ months: avg revenue $2.15M (95.5% swim le… 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
Goldfish Swim School franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Goldfish Swim School franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,663,263–$3,746,733, including a $40,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Goldfish Swim School franchise owners make?
- Unaudited 2024 averages for 155 schools open 12+ months: avg revenue $2.15M (95.5% swim lessons), avg profit before other expenses $679K (31.6%). Also table for 19 schools in first full year: avg revenue $1.88M, avg profit $469K. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Goldfish Swim School franchise fees?
- Goldfish Swim School's FDD discloses a $40,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty: greater of $1,250/mo or 6% sales (first 90 days), then $4,000/mo or 6%; Brand Fund: 2% sales; Tech: $700/mo; Local ad: 2% sales.
- What is the Goldfish Swim School franchise profit margin?
- Goldfish Swim School does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Unaudited 2024 averages for 155 schools open 12+ months: avg revenue $2.15M (95.5% swim lessons), avg profit before other expenses $679K (31.6%). Also table for 19 schools in first full year: avg revenue $1.88M, avg profit $469K. Recurring fees alone take about 8% 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 Goldfish Swim School franchise failure rate?
- Zero terminations/non-renewals 2022-2024; 1 transfer in 2024; strong system growth.
- How many Goldfish Swim School locations are there?
- Goldfish Swim School's FDD reports 177 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 1 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Goldfish Swim School have complaints or lawsuits?
- Goldfish Swim School discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Goldfish Swim School franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Goldfish Swim School scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: MN CARDS 33047-202503-07 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Goldfish Swim School or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.