The Knight School franchise
2026 filing · March 31, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
The Knight School at a glance
A chess school teaching children through classes, camps and school programs. At the end of 2025 there were 30 The Knight School locations in the US, 28 franchised and 2 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Education
- Franchisor
- The Knight School Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2024
- 2 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Birmingham, Alabama
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $21K–$54K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- $15,000 at signing and the rest in $2,000 installments every six months
- Royalty
- 15%
- 15% of gross revenues, paid monthly, waived for the first six months, with no royalty on the first $2,500 of monthly revenue until the 37th month
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present; up to 2% of gross revenue
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 30
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 28
- Company-owned
- 2
- Change in 3 years
- +12
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 15
- Most in Texas, Pennsylvania and Tennessee
From The Knight School Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
The Knight School among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Knight School | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $37,710 | Costs less than 98% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 15% | Higher than 98% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 30 | More than 56% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $303,465 | Lower than 88% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 8.0× | Higher than 94% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a The Knight School franchise costs
Opening one The Knight School costs an estimated $21,140 to $54,280. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the franchises under $30K.
The biggest costs are additional funds (3 months) ($280 to $18,720) and initial franchise fee ($15,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $15,000 | ||
| Opening Kit | $3,320 | $3,820 | |
| Electronics/Smart Phone | $0 | $1,040 | |
| Business Licenses/Permits | $160 | $850 | |
| Insurance | $250 | $1,180 | |
| Training (transportation, lodging, etc.) | $1,350 | $7,250 | |
| Computer and Office Supplies | $290 | $1,240 | |
| Office or Business Software and Internet Access | $140 | $1,700 | |
| Professional Service Fees | $100 | $2,200 | |
| Advisors Initial Advertising | $250 | $1,050 | |
| Fixtures, furniture and other office furnishings | $0 | $230 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $280 | $18,720 | |
| Total | $21,140 | $54,280 | |
Source: The Knight School Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
The Knight School franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000, $15,000 at signing and the rest in $2,000 installments every six months. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: The Knight School Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 15% of gross revenues, paid monthly, waived for the first six months, with no royalty on the first $2,500 of monthly revenue until the 37th month. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present; up to 2% of gross revenue. |
| Computer and Office Supplies | $290 |
| Transfer Fee Under Franchise Agreement | $2,500 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: The Knight School Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 13–17. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures The Knight School publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $303,465
- Median revenue
- $229,404
Yearly figures for 2025, covering franchisee-owned units past their first complete calendar year. The average is about 8 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: The Knight School Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 46
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | The Knight School | Typical education brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +7.7% / +75% | +3.7% / +24% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 13% | 2.5% / 16% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical education brand is the median of the 88 brands in education franchises with three years of counts.
How The Knight School compares
Of the 221 education franchises on this site, The Knight School is the 7th cheapest to open and the 73rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | The Knight School | Typical education brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $21K | $120K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $54K | $228K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $42K | $40K |
| Royalty | 15% | 7% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $303K | $323K | $794K |
| US locations | 30 | 15 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 148 of 221 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 221 brands in education franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 22 (+6) | 2 | +6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 26 (+4) | 2 | +6 | −2 |
| 2025 | 28 (+2) | 2 | +2 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Franchised counts for 2023 and 2024 include programs run under license agreements with the franchisor's affiliate.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: home-based franchises and franchise failure rates.
Source: The Knight School Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 50
Where The Knight School locations are
At the end of 2025, The Knight School had locations in 16 states and territories. The most are in Texas, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
- Texas9
- Pennsylvania3
- Tennessee3
- Alabama2
- North Carolina2
- Colorado1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Alabama | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Colorado | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| District of Columbia | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Florida | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: The Knight School Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 51
Who owns The Knight School?
The Knight School franchises are sold by The Knight School Franchising, LLC.
From The Knight School Franchising, LLC’s 2026 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: The Knight School Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
The Knight School filings
The figures on this page come from The Knight School Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 31, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 31, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
