LeafSpring Schools franchise

2025 filing · April 24, 2025GrowingShares sales figures

LeafSpring Schools at a glance

An early childhood education school offering preschool, private kindergarten, before- and after-school care and camps. At the end of 2024 there were 13 LeafSpring Schools locations in the US, 12 franchised and 1 company-owned.

The business

Industry: Daycare; Also listed in education
Franchisor: PRISM, LLC; The company that sells the franchises
Franchisor based in: Glen Allen, Virginia

What you pay

Cost to open: $979K–$1.14M; A one-building LeafSpring school in a build-to-suit leased facility
Franchise fee: $87,500; Paid once, when you sign
Royalty: 3%–6%; No royalty for the first three months, then 3% of gross sales through month 12 and 6% after that, paid monthly
Brand fund: None now; Not charged at present (0% of gross sales)
Agreement length: 15 years
Territory: Limited; Limited protection
Franchisor financing: None offered
SBA Franchise Directory: Not listed; Lenders check this list before an SBA loan

Where it is

US locations, 2024: 13; Franchised and company-owned
Franchised: 12
Company-owned: 1
Change in 3 years: +1; Franchised locations, 2022–2024
States: 4; Most in Virginia, North Carolina and Texas

Support and records

Shares sales figures: Yes; $3.54M average per location
Initial training: 106 hours; 61 hours in class and 45 on the job
Lawsuits disclosed: None
Bankruptcy disclosed: None
Franchisor revenue, 2024: $2.46M; The company, not one location
Franchisor net income: $814K
Latest filing: Apr 24, 2025; 2025 filing

From PRISM, LLC’s 2025 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 126; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.

Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.

Estimate your costs Model the payback

Where it ranks

LeafSpring Schools among all franchises with the same figure.

Figure	LeafSpring Schools	Among all franchises
Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate	$1,058,500	Costs more than 84% of franchises
Franchise feePaid once, when you sign	$87,500	Higher than 97% of franchises
RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor	6%	Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate
US locationsFranchised and company-owned	13	Fewer than 57% of franchises
Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it	$3,537,789	Higher than 97% of brands that share sales figures
Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint	3.3×	Higher than 82% of brands that share sales figures

How much a LeafSpring Schools franchise costs

Opening a one-building LeafSpring school in a build-to-suit leased facility costs an estimated $978,500 to $1,138,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.

The biggest costs are working capital ($350,000) and furniture, fixtures & equipment ($235,000 to $255,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:

What it pays for	Low	High
Initial Franchise Fee	$87,500
Rent and Security Deposit - Real Estate and Improvements	$40,000	$80,000
Utility Deposits	$5,000	$10,000
Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment	$235,000	$255,000
Playground	$189,000	$252,000
Start-Up Marketing	$20,000	$30,000
Information Technology	$25,000	$35,000
Insurance	$20,000	$25,000
Professional Fees/Licenses	$4,000	$7,000
Training-Related Expenses	$3,000	$7,000
Working Capital	$350,000
Total	$978,500	$1,138,500

Source: PRISM, LLC, 2025 filing, page 12

LeafSpring Schools franchise fee

The franchise fee is $87,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.

Source: PRISM, LLC, 2025 filing, page 9

Royalty and ongoing fees

Royalty	No royalty for the first three months, then 3% of gross sales through month 12 and 6% after that, paid monthly.
Brand or marketing fund	Not charged at present (0% of gross sales).
Information Technology	$25,000 - $35,000
Transfer/Assignment Fee – Franchise Agreement	10% of the then current initial franchise fee plus cost of training
Refresher Training Fees	$1,000 per day to a maximum of 5 days per instance

The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.

Source: PRISM, LLC, 2025 filing, page 9

Other fees as filed, from pages 11–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.

Sales and earnings

Shares figures LeafSpring Schools publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.

Average sales: $3,537,789
Median sales: $3,908,401

Yearly figures for 2024, covering franchised schools of the current design (two smaller schools left out). The average is about 3.3 times the midpoint of the cost to open.

Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.

Source: PRISM, LLC, 2025 filing, pages 33–34

Growth and closures

Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.

Measure	LeafSpring Schools	Typical daycare brand	Typical franchise
GrowthNet change in franchised locations	0% / +9.1%	+4.3% / +19%	+1.2% / +10%
ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating	0% / 9.1%	0% / 4.5%	3.9% / 16%
Bought backLocations the franchisor took back	0% / 0%	0% / 0%	0% / 0%

Typical daycare brand is the median of the 15 brands in daycare franchises with three years of counts.

How LeafSpring Schools compares

Of the 40 daycare franchises on this site, LeafSpring Schools is the 26th cheapest to open and the 17th largest by number of locations.

Figure	LeafSpring Schools	Typical daycare brand	Typical franchise
Cost to open, low end	$979K	$737K	$222K
Cost to open, high end	$1.14M	$1.44M	$477K
Franchise fee	$88K	$65K	$40K
Royalty	6%	7%	6%
Sales per location	$3.54M	$2.19M	$794K
US locations	13	10	21
Shares earnings figures	Yes	29 of 40	2,147 of 3,352

Typical is the median across the 40 brands in daycare franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.

Locations opened and closed

2 opened

1 closed or left

Franchised locations, last 3 years

2022

2 opened0 closed or left

13 (+2)

2023

0 opened1 closed or left

12 (−1)

2024

0 opened0 closed or left

12 (0)

Year	Franchised	Company-owned	Opened	Closed
2022	13 (+2)	1	+2	0
2023	12 (−1)	1	0	−1
2024	12 (0)	1	0	0

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.

More in the guides: daycare franchise costs and franchise failure rates.

Source: PRISM, LLC, 2025 filing, page 35

Source filing (2025, PDF)

Where LeafSpring Schools locations are

At the end of 2024, LeafSpring Schools had locations in 4 states. The most are in Virginia, North Carolina and Texas.

Virginia6
North Carolina4
Texas2
Indiana1

State	Franchised	Company-owned	Total
Virginia	5	1	6
North Carolina	4	0	4
Texas	2	0	2
Indiana	1	0	1

Source: PRISM, LLC, 2025 filing, page 36

Who owns LeafSpring Schools?

LeafSpring Schools franchises are sold by PRISM, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.

From PRISM, LLC’s 2025 filing, page 6.

Lawsuits and bankruptcy

Lawsuits and regulatory actions	None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy	None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed.

Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.

Source: PRISM, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8

Source filing (2025, PDF)