Franchise Facts Report → brands → The Goddard School
The Goddard School franchise — is it worth it?
Medium risk Growing network Item 19 disclosed
The Goddard School is a child services and education franchise with a substantial investment range of $1,003,500 to $1,503,000.
Everything below is free, read straight off The Goddard School's registered filing, with where the numbers land against child services & education peers. Weighing The Goddard School against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in The Goddard School's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 641500 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.
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How much does a The Goddard School franchise make?
The Goddard School is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The headline figure is $4,101,641 in average unit revenue — read it alongside what Item 19 says about which units it covers (often only mature or top-performing locations). See every child services & education brand that discloses earnings in the Child care & education franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
The Goddard School franchise profit vs. revenue
Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come The Goddard School's 7% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a The Goddard School franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "The Goddard School franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. On $4,101,641 of revenue, a 7% royalty alone is about $287,115 a year before any other cost.
The Goddard School lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
The Goddard School's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose 1 legal proceeding in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against The Goddard School itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. 1 of those proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
The Goddard School closures & failure rate
Before you sign, The Goddard School will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what The Goddard School's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a child services & education of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. The Goddard School's latest tables show a growing franchised network. Net franchised outlets moved +23 to 665 in the latest reported year.
Who owns The Goddard School?
The Goddard School's franchise is offered by Goddard Franchisor LLC (f/k/a Goddard Systems, LLC) — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Child services & education franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing The Goddard School is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
The Goddard School franchise — frequently asked
Who owns The Goddard School — who is the franchisor?
The Goddard School's most recently filed FDD (2026) names Goddard Franchisor LLC (f/k/a Goddard Systems, LLC) as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a The Goddard School franchise cost?
The Goddard School's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $1,003,500 – $1,503,000 and a 7% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against child services & education peers it sits in the bottom quartile (median $134,630).
How much profit does a The Goddard School franchise make?
The Goddard School discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (7% of gross for The Goddard School), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any The Goddard School franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate. The headline figure The Goddard School discloses is $4,101,641 in average unit revenue.
Does The Goddard School disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — The Goddard School reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure is $4,101,641 in average unit revenue, as the franchisor states it.
Are there lawsuits against The Goddard School?
The Goddard School's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses 1 legal proceeding in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against The Goddard School itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. 1 of the disclosed proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor.
Is The Goddard School a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from The Goddard School's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against child services & education peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is medium risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on The Goddard School or child services & education: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.