Best Brains franchise
A Best Brains franchisee operates a children's learning center offering supplemental education programs. At the end of 2025 there were 203 Best Brains locations in the US, 201 franchised and 2 company-owned.
- Cost to open
- $50K–$134K
- Franchise fee
- $14,500
- Royalty
- 14% + minimum
- Locations, 2025
- 203+85 in 2 yrs
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- Not on the SBA Franchise Directory
From Best Brains, Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Best Brains franchise costs
Opening Premium Learning Center costs an estimated $49,850 to $134,300. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Best Brains, Inc, 2026 filing, page 17
Best Brains franchise fee
The franchise fee is $14,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Best Brains, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | Normally 14% of gross sales with a $750 monthly minimum; 18% during probation. Additional programs pay 14% and add-on programs 7% of their respective sales. |
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The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Best Brains, Inc, 2026 filing, page 11
Sales and earnings
No figures Best Brains does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Best Brains, Inc, 2026 filing, page 35
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 122 (+6) | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 162 (+40) | 2 | 3 |
| 2025 | 201 (+39) | 2 | – |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
Source: Best Brains, Inc, 2026 filing, page 36
How Best Brains compares
Of the 39 education franchises on this site, Best Brains is the 3rd cheapest to open and the 7th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Best Brains | Typical education |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $50K | $124K |
| Royalty | 14% | 7.5% |
| Closed or left per year | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| Change in franchised locations, 2 yrs | +73.3% | +43.5% |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 34 of 39 |
Typical is the median across the 39 brands in education franchises.
