Kumon Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Kumon franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Kumon discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Kumon makes zero financial performance representations. No revenue, enrollment, or income data provided. Complete omission leaves prospective franchisees with no basis to evaluate earning potential.
What a Kumon franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $2,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Total initial investment | $101,630 – $233,780 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty is per-student flat fee (~$38/student/month post-TLP), not revenue percentage; ad fee is flat $300/month minimum.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Kumon system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 1,710 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 23 |
| Transferred to new owners | 64 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
2025: 23 terminations, 5 non-renewals, 64 transfers; system grew net +34 franchised outlets.
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 Kumon worth it? — how it compares to 60 similar franchises
| Startup cost | from $101,630 | cheaper than most (median $191,992) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.4%) |
| 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 Kumon
The franchisor's framing: Kumon makes zero financial performance representations. No revenue, enrollment, or income … 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
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Kumon franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Kumon franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $101,630–$233,780, including a $2,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Kumon franchise owners make?
- Kumon discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Kumon franchise fees?
- Kumon's FDD discloses a $2,000 initial franchise fee. Royalty is per-student flat fee (~$38/student/month post-TLP), not revenue percentage; ad fee is flat $300/month minimum.
- What is the Kumon franchise profit margin?
- Kumon discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Kumon franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 23 terminations, 5 non-renewals, 64 transfers; system grew net +34 franchised outlets.
- How many Kumon locations are there?
- Kumon's FDD reports 1,710 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 64 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Kumon have complaints or lawsuits?
- Kumon 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 Kumon franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Kumon scores F on disclosure honesty. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Kumon to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 35725-202603-05 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Kumon or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.