Lightbridge Academy franchise
2024 filing · April 17, 2024GrowingShares sales figures
Lightbridge Academy at a glance
A child care and early education center for infants through pre-K, with summer camps for school-age children. At the end of 2023 there were 73 Lightbridge Academy locations in the US, 55 franchised and 18 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Iselin, New Jersey
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.07M–$3.12M
- Leased center
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 7% of gross revenues, cut to 4% for the first six months
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 3%
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 10% of then current initial franchise fee
- Agreement length
- 15 years
- Franchisor financing
- Some financing offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 73
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 55
- Company-owned
- 18
- Change in 2 years
- +17
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 8
- Most in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York
Support and records
From Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC’s 2024 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 92; 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.
Where it ranks
Lightbridge Academy among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Lightbridge Academy | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $2,093,817 | Costs more than 93% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 73 | More than 71% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $2,393,879 | Higher than 92% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.1× | Lower than 70% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Lightbridge Academy franchise costs
Opening leased center costs an estimated $1,067,233 to $3,120,400. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($412,500 to $2,100,000) and equipment, fixtures and furnishing ($241,000 to $399,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Initial Training | $40,000 | ||
| Center Development Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Background Checks and Asset Verification | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Lease Deposit | $44,333 | $87,500 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $412,500 | $2,100,000 | |
| Lease Guaranty Set-Up Fee | $20,000 | ||
| Lease Guaranty Payment | $0 | $2,900 | |
| Equipment, Fixtures and Furnishing | $241,000 | $399,000 | |
| Permits & Licenses | $400 | $1,000 | |
| Signs | $18,000 | $35,000 | |
| Prepaid Insurance Premium | $4,000 | $8,000 | |
| Pre-and Post-Launch Advertising and Marketing Plan | $35,000 | $55,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising and Marketing | $5,000 | ||
| Training | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Additional Funds -3 months | $150,000 | $255,000 | |
| Total | $1,067,233 | $3,120,400 | |
Source: Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 25
Lightbridge Academy franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 15
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of gross revenues, cut to 4% for the first six months. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 3%. |
| Technology Fee | Currently $400 per month. |
| Renewal | 10% of then current initial franchise fee |
| Minimum Local Advertising Expenditure | Minimum of $6,000 per quarter |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 18
Other fees as filed, from pages 19–21. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Lightbridge Academy publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $2,393,879
- Median revenue
- $2,540,335
Yearly figures for 2023, covering franchised centers open at least 24 months at the end of 2023 (46 locations). The average is about 1.1 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: Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC, 2024 filing, pages 69–70
SBA loans to Lightbridge Academy franchisees
Lenders approved 61 SBA-backed loans for Lightbridge Academy franchisees from 2017 to 2026, $94.7M in all: 57 7(a) loans and 4 504 loans. All 21 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 40 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Lightbridge Academy compares
Of the 40 daycare franchises on this site, Lightbridge Academy is the 30th cheapest to open and the 5th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Lightbridge Academy | Typical daycare brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.07M | $737K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $3.12M | $1.44M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $65K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $2.39M | $2.19M | $794K |
| US locations | 73 | 10 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 1.1% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 2 yrs | +44.7% | +27.2% | – |
| 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
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 38 (+8) | 15 | – | – |
| 2021 | 46 (+8) | 16 | +8 | 0 |
| 2022 | 50 (+4) | 17 | +4 | 0 |
| 2023 | 55 (+5) | 18 | – | – |
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.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2020 to the end of 2023, franchised locations went from 30 to 55 (+25, +83%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2023 filing.
Source: Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 76
2020: Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC, 2023 filing, page 76
Where Lightbridge Academy locations are
At the end of 2023, Lightbridge Academy had locations in 8 states. The most are in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.
- New Jersey47
- Pennsylvania10
- New York7
- North Carolina3
- Maryland2
- Tennessee2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 33 | 14 | 47 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| New York | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Maryland | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Texas | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Virginia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC, 2024 filing, page 77
Who owns Lightbridge Academy?
Lightbridge Academy franchises are sold by Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC.
From Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC’s 2024 filing.
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: Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 14, bankruptcy on page 15
Lightbridge Academy filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Lightbridge Franchise Company, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued April 17, 2024; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | April 17, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
| 2023 filing | April 18, 2023 | NASAA depository | Locations, 2020 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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Lightbridge Academy is also on these lists: education franchises.