Lightbridge Academy Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Lightbridge Academy franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Lightbridge Academy discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Comprehensive financial data for mature centers (18+ months) across quartiles. Top quartile averaged $3.45M gross revenue, $751k EBITDA. Bottom quartile $1.87M revenue, $102k EBITDA. Cherry-picking: presents quartile data allowing selection bias interpretation; excludes 13 unopened and 3 temporary closure centers.
What a Lightbridge Academy 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 | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 9% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $834,868 – $2,609,735 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
7% royalty (4% first 6 months); up to 3% brand fund; $6k quarterly min advertising; $400/mo tech fee; multiple training/support fees.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Lightbridge Academy system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 92 |
| Ceased operations | 2 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 3 |
| Closure rate | 2.2% of outlets |
2 ceased operations (2025); 4th quartile centers show negative EBITDA risk; low transfer activity suggests retention.
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 Lightbridge Academy worth it? — how it compares to 60 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 9% of sales | lower than most (median 9%) |
| Startup cost | from $834,868 | pricier than 78% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 75% of children's education & childcare franchises |
| Closure rate | 2.2% of outlets | worse than 60% 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 Lightbridge Academy
The franchisor's framing: Comprehensive financial data for mature centers (18+ months) across quartiles. Top quartil… 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
Lightbridge Academy franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Lightbridge Academy franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $834,868–$2,609,735, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Lightbridge Academy franchise owners make?
- Comprehensive financial data for mature centers (18+ months) across quartiles. Top quartile averaged $3.45M gross revenue, $751k EBITDA. Bottom quartile $1.87M revenue, $102k EBITDA. Cherry-picking: presents quartile data allowing selection bias interpretation; excludes 13 unopened and 3 temporary closure centers. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Lightbridge Academy franchise fees?
- Lightbridge Academy's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 7% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 9% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 7% royalty (4% first 6 months); up to 3% brand fund; $6k quarterly min advertising; $400/mo tech fee; multiple training/support fees.
- What is the Lightbridge Academy franchise profit margin?
- Lightbridge Academy does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Comprehensive financial data for mature centers (18+ months) across quartiles. Top quartile averaged $3.45M gross revenue, $751k EBITDA. Bottom quartile $1.87M revenue, $102k EBITDA. Cherry-picking: presents quartile data allowing selection bias interpretation; excludes 13 unopened and 3 temporary closure centers. Recurring fees alone take about 9% 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 Lightbridge Academy franchise failure rate?
- 2 ceased operations (2025); 4th quartile centers show negative EBITDA risk; low transfer activity suggests retention.
- How many Lightbridge Academy locations are there?
- Lightbridge Academy's FDD reports 92 total outlets, with 2 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 3 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Lightbridge Academy have complaints or lawsuits?
- Lightbridge Academy 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 Lightbridge Academy franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Lightbridge Academy scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 9% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Lightbridge Academy or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.