Goldfish Swim School franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.22 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$40,000 to $50,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

6% · Greater of $1,250/month or 6% of gross sales for the first 90 days after opening (or 600 days after signing), then greater of $4,000/month or 6% of gross sales; paid monthly on the 5th by EFT

Marketing contribution

2% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$700 per month currently (may increase)

Other fees

Brand Fund: up to 3% of gross sales (currently 2%), minimum $450/month for first 90 days then $1,300/month; Additional/substitute manager training and operations assistance $600/day plus expenses; Annual convention fee $500-$2,500

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$75,000 - $350,000 (Additional Funds, 3 months: employees, utilities, lessor and suppliers; includes loan costs; more may be needed if sales are low)

Fees sourceFDD p.17 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.22 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average, quartile, low and high total revenue plus operating expense lines and profit before other expenses (owner compensation, interest, taxes, depreciation excluded)

Reporting period

Calendar year 2024

Sample

155 of 172 franchised schools (open at least 12 months as of 12/31/2024); Table 2 covers 19 schools open 13-24 months

Reported average

$2,147,104

Reported median

$1,979,745

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.65 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2024

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

155

Year-end outlets

172

Net change

+17

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

17

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

0

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

1

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.69 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

38 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$2,332,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

15 loans

Historical charge-off share

0.00%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 69

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Goldfish Swim School franchise cost?

Single franchised swim school (Item 7 total): $1,663,263 to $3,746,733; Area Development Agreement, first unit (adds $70,000 development fee, less initial fee paid): $1,733,263 to $3,816,733 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $40,000 to $50,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.22 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Goldfish Swim School owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average, quartile, low and high total revenue plus operating expense lines and profit before other expenses (owner compensation, interest, taxes, depreciation excluded). Sample: 155 of 172 franchised schools (open at least 12 months as of 12/31/2024); Table 2 covers 19 schools open 13-24 months. Period: Calendar year 2024.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.65 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Goldfish Swim School?

0.00%; numerator / denominator: 0 / 69. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $2,332,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 15 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗