Education
Aqua-Tots Swim School Franchise
An indoor swim-lesson franchise for infants through teens, operated from purpose-built indoor pool facilities rather than converted retail space -- reflected in a total initial investment that runs well past $1.6 million, the highest of any brand in this batch. An affiliate has operated as an unincorporated swim school in the Phoenix, Arizona area since 1991; the current franchisor entity has offered franchises since June 2007. Franchised unit count grew every year in the FDD's three-year window while the company continues to operate the original single company-owned location.
Every franchisor has to file a document called an FDD before they can legally sell you a franchise. Buried in it are the two things a sales rep won't volunteer: what you'll actually spend to open, and whether existing locations are opening or closing. That's what's below, pulled straight from Aqua-Tots Swim School's own filing.
What it costs to open
From the filing's investment breakdown -- not a "starting at" number a sales rep quoted you.
Franchise fee
$50,000
Total to open
$1,619,820–$2,939,590
Ongoing royalty
6% of gross sales
What you'd actually spend, over time
The upfront cost is only part of it. Plug in what you expect a location to bring in, and see the real total once royalties over a few years are added on top.
Defaulted to a rough education industry average, not a figure from Aqua-Tots Swim School's own FDD -- change it to your own estimate.
Total cost of ownership over 5 years
$1,724,820 – $3,044,590
Startup investment
$1,619,820–$2,939,590
Royalty per year (6%)
$21,000
Total royalty, 5yr
$105,000
When would you break even?
Revenue alone doesn't tell you this -- it depends on what's left after rent, labor, and everything else. Aqua-Tots Swim School's FDD doesn't disclose a reliable profit figure (most franchisors don't), so this starts from a typical education profit margin (~15%) and applies it to the revenue you entered above -- adjust the percentage to your own realistic estimate.
Defaulted to a general education industry benchmark, not a figure from Aqua-Tots Swim School's own filing -- this is a starting point to adjust, not a promise about what franchisees actually make.
At that profit, you'd break even in about
30.9–56.0 years
Weigh that payback period against what you already know: Aqua-Tots Swim School is opening more locations. A long payback period on a shrinking brand is a very different bet than the same payback period on a growing one.
Is Aqua-Tots Swim School actually growing?
Franchisors have to report, every year, how many locations opened, closed, or changed hands. Most franchise sites never show you this. Here it is:
Locations opened vs. closed, by year
GrowingFrom Item 20 of Aqua-Tots Swim School's FDD, the section franchisors use to disclose real openings and closings.
| Year | Franchised units, start | Franchised units, end | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 102 | 107 | +5 |
| 2023 | 107 | 118 | +11 |
| 2024 | 118 | 131 | +13 |
Most recent year (2024): gained 13 franchised units, ending the year at 131 total.
What you're actually signing up for
The cost and growth numbers above are only part of the picture. These three FDD items are the ones a prospective franchisee tends to weigh most heavily once they're past the sticker price.
Training & ongoing support (Item 11)
Item 11: pre-opening assistance includes territory designation, site-selection advice (minimum 7,000 sq ft, no residential pools), review of build plans, and access to a 370-page confidential Manual; ongoing fees are the 6% Royalty plus the 2% National Advertising fee. Sites must open within 24 months of signing or risk termination.
Territory protection (Item 12)
Item 12: no exclusive territory -- Aqua-Tots negotiates territory boundaries by population density, income levels, and its own development plans, but agrees not to open a company-owned or franchised Aqua-Tots inside an existing franchisee's Territory while that franchisee stays in compliance.
Renewal & termination terms (Item 17)
Item 17: 10-year initial term with one additional 10-year renewal option; Aqua-Tots must approve or reject a renewal request in writing within 30 days.
How Aqua-Tots Swim School compares to other Education franchises
Across the 7 education franchises we've hand-verified so far, the typical range to open runs $1,074,443–$2,678,183, with royalties averaging around 7.2% of gross sales (based on the 7 of them that charge a flat %-of-revenue royalty).
Keep going
- Aqua-Tots Swim School and Primrose Schools are both education franchises; Aqua-Tots Swim School's total investment starts about $532,680 lower than Primrose Schools's. Primrose Schools Franchise
- Aqua-Tots Swim School and Goldfish Swim School are both education franchises; Aqua-Tots Swim School's total investment starts about $964,213 lower than Goldfish Swim School's. Goldfish Swim School Franchise
Where this came from: California DFPI Registration (Initial/Late Renewal), App ID APP00002334, filed 4/30/2025, effective 10/9/2025. FDD issued April 30, 2025. Item 5: $50,000 Initial Franchise Fee. Item 6: 6% Royalty Fee plus 2% National Advertising (both of Gross Revenue). Item 7 Totals: $1,619,820-$2,939,590, dominated by pool design/build ($250,000-$400,000) and tenant improvements ($1,200,000-$2,100,000) -- a genuinely large-format investment, not a parsing error. Item 20 Table 1 franchised outlets; company-owned held flat at 1 (the original Mesa, AZ location) throughout. You can pull the same filing yourself from the California DFPI's public franchise search. Filed 2025-04-30. None of this is investment advice -- get the franchisor's current FDD and talk to a real attorney or accountant before you sign anything.
If you see a different unit count elsewhere: franchisors only have to refile their FDD annually, so the numbers here can run 6–18 months behind a franchisor's own real-time marketing claims -- which often aren't independently verified, and sometimes count signed-but-not-yet-open locations. A gap isn't necessarily an error on either side; it's two different snapshots in time from two different sources.