Ivybrook Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Ivybrook franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Ivybrook discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Historical EBITDA for 24 franchisees open 2+ years: average $159,401 (19% of revenue), median $152,479. 1 affiliate school: $456,386 EBITDA. Only 2 of 24 franchisees matched affiliate EBITDA. Cherry-pick: excludes non-compliant schools, new schools.
What a Ivybrook franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1% 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 | $540,700 – $869,860 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
7% royalty + 1% brand fund (rising to 2% in 2026) + 1% mandatory local marketing. Multiple ancillary fees including $250/month technology.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Ivybrook system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 41 |
| Ceased operations | 2 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 4.9% of outlets |
2 closures in 2024; zero terminations or non-renewals; limited system maturity (40 franchisees).
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 Ivybrook worth it? — how it compares to 60 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 9%) |
| Startup cost | from $540,700 | pricier than 64% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 4.9% of outlets | worse than 77% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
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 Ivybrook
The franchisor's framing: Historical EBITDA for 24 franchisees open 2+ years: average $159,401 (19% of revenue), med… 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
Ivybrook franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Ivybrook franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $540,700–$869,860, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Ivybrook franchise owners make?
- Historical EBITDA for 24 franchisees open 2+ years: average $159,401 (19% of revenue), median $152,479. 1 affiliate school: $456,386 EBITDA. Only 2 of 24 franchisees matched affiliate EBITDA. Cherry-pick: excludes non-compliant schools, new schools. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Ivybrook franchise fees?
- Ivybrook's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 7% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 7% royalty + 1% brand fund (rising to 2% in 2026) + 1% mandatory local marketing. Multiple ancillary fees including $250/month technology.
- What is the Ivybrook franchise profit margin?
- Ivybrook does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Historical EBITDA for 24 franchisees open 2+ years: average $159,401 (19% of revenue), median $152,479. 1 affiliate school: $456,386 EBITDA. Only 2 of 24 franchisees matched affiliate EBITDA. Cherry-pick: excludes non-compliant schools, new schools. 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 Ivybrook franchise failure rate?
- 2 closures in 2024; zero terminations or non-renewals; limited system maturity (40 franchisees).
- How many Ivybrook locations are there?
- Ivybrook's FDD reports 41 total outlets, with 2 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Ivybrook have complaints or lawsuits?
- Ivybrook 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 Ivybrook franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Ivybrook scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Ivybrook to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 34798-202509-03 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Ivybrook or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.