Aqua-Tots franchise unit economics
Aqua-Tots franchisees build and run indoor swim schools in retail or commercial locations that sell small-group and private swim lessons and pool parties, inside an exclusive territory.
Aqua-Tots franchise at a glance
In its 2026 FDD Aqua-Tots reports 2025 sales for 131 schools, with separate averages by region that set California apart from the other states.
Aqua-Tots franchisees averaged $1,138,797 of sales in 2025, with a median of $1,008,577, according to Item 19 of Aqua-Tots’ 2026 FDD, issued 14 April 2026. The 131 in that group are 95%* of Aqua-Tots’ 138 locations. Fees paid to Aqua-Tots come to about 8.49%* of sales. An Aqua-Tots franchise costs $1,619,820 to $2,939,590 to open.
These figures come from Aqua-Tots's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- California schools bill 2.66 times what schools outside the five metro states do. $2,687,841 against $1,009,985 *, on the same Item 7 build.
- The same build costs 0.60 to 1.09 years of revenue in the West and 1.60 to 2.91 outside it. Those ratios divide the $1,619,820 to $2,939,590 build by each region’s average sales *.
- Tenant improvements and the pool are $1,450,000 to $2,500,000 of the build. That is 90% of the lowest Aqua-Tots Item 7 total and 85% of the highest*.
- Brand charges run 8.5% of revenue and have no minimum royalty. That is 6% royalty, 2% national advertising and $465 a month of software *, with no sales quota attached. The owner also spends a required 2% on local marketing.
- The exclusive territory may be as small as a two-mile radius. That is about 12.6 square miles *. The territory is exclusive while the franchisee complies, and the brand can adjust it only at renewal.
How much does an Aqua-Tots franchise make?
The average Aqua-Tots unit reported $1,138,797 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $1,008,577. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 8.5% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Top performers
What separates the top Aqua-Tots performers
Aqua-Tots splits its 131 franchised schools by region. The 8 California schools averaged $2,687,841 a year. The 116 schools outside California and the four Northeast states averaged $1,009,985. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $1,008,577. The average was $1,138,797. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.Aqua-Tots California schools sell 2.7× the schools outside the five metro states. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Capacity.Aqua-Tots sites must be at least 6,000 square feet. The build sets how much you can sell.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $1,619,820 to $2,939,590, a 1.8× range inside one brand.
Live operating levers
- Sales depend on admissions.The doors are open whether anyone comes or not, so the owner works on how many come through in an open hour and what each spends beyond the ticket.
- Fees.Aqua-Tots fees run about 8.5% of sales at the 2025 average, and Aqua-Tots charges no minimum royalty.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 131 of 138 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, as are locations under the brand’s current size standard.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Ask the franchisor or current owners for cost and profit figures.
Where the school sits
Sales by region, 2025
| Region | Schools | Average | Median | High | Low | At or above average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West (California) | 8 | $2,687,841 | $2,453,970 | $3,963,264 | $1,776,609 | 3 (38%) |
| Northeast (MA, NJ, NY, PA) | 7 | $1,739,049 | $1,724,050 | $2,583,209 | $917,833 | 3 (43%) |
| All other regions | 116 | $1,009,985 | $958,825 | $2,088,661 | $403,177 | 51 (44%) |
| All 131 | 131 | $1,138,797 | $1,008,577 | $3,963,264 | $403,177 | 53 (40%) |
Every figure is as the brand reported it for franchised US schools operating at the end of 2025, excluding the single company-owned school.
The lowest-selling California school bills more than the average school everywhere else. The lowest California school billed $1,776,609 against the $1,009,985 average elsewhere, so the minimum in that market sits 76% above the mean outside it.
Fifteen metro schools raise the system average by $128,812. The 116 other schools average $1,009,985 against the all-school $1,138,797 *, so a school outside those five states should benchmark against the lower figure.
Thirteen of the 15 metro schools billed at least $1,000,000. That is 87% of them. The median school outside those five states billed $958,825.
The highest-selling school billed 9.83 times the lowest-selling one. $3,963,264 against $403,177 *, and the system median of $1,008,577 is 88.6% of the mean.
Two arithmetic checks miss. Weighting the three regional averages gives $1,151,407 against the filed $1,138,797. The regional attainment counts sum to 57 against a filed 53, so treat the regional splits as indicative.
What it costs to open, and how long it takes back
Cost to open against regional revenue
| Region | Average revenue | Build at $1,619,820 | Build at $2,939,590 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West | $2,687,841 | 0.60 years | 1.09 years |
| Northeast | $1,739,049 | 0.93 years | 1.69 years |
| All other regions | $1,009,985 | 1.60 years | 2.91 years |
| All 131 | $1,138,797 | 1.42 years | 2.58 years |
The investment range and regional averages are as the brand reported it and the ratios divide one by the other, marked *.
Tenant improvements run $1,200,000 to $2,100,000 and the pool $250,000 to $400,000. Tenant improvements and the pool at Aqua-Tots are 90% of the lowest Item 7 total and 85% of the highest*. The Aqua-Tots figures exclude buying land or putting up a building.
Additional funds cover three months and exclude wages. Aqua-Tots puts them at $40,000 to $115,000, assuming zero revenue.
Advertising of $26,000 to $45,000 is required across six months around opening. The spend covers the three months before opening and the three after.
A site must be at least 6,000 square feet, and residential pools are excluded. The brand accepts or rejects a proposed site within 30 days. A lease must be secured by month 12 and the school open by month 24, or the agreement can end.
Fees collected in 2025 ran $10,000 to $50,000. The list price is $50,000 and a 25% multi-unit discount takes it to $37,500, so the low end sits well below every disclosed tier.
Fees and territory
Franchise fees by region
| Charge | Rate | West | All 131 | All other regions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 6% of sales | $161,270 | $68,328 | $60,599 |
| National advertising | 2% | $53,757 | $22,776 | $20,200 |
| Local marketing | 2% | $53,757 | $22,776 | $20,200 |
| Software and technology | $465 a month | $5,580 | $5,580 | $5,580 |
| Paid to the brand (excludes local marketing) | n/a | $220,607 | $96,684 | $86,379 |
| Share of revenue paid to the brand | n/a | 8.21% | 8.49% | 8.55% |
The rates and monthly charges are as the brand reported it and the annual dollar figures apply them to each region's filed average revenue, marked *.
No sales quota and no minimum royalty apply. The Aqua-Tots agreement’s performance deadlines are the site and opening dates before the school opens.
The territory is exclusive while you comply. The brand and its affiliates stay out of it entirely, as do any similar businesses they might license.
It may also be as small as a two-mile radius. That is about 12.6 square miles *, negotiated on population density and income, and adjustable by the brand at renewal.
The local marketing base is stated two different ways. That is 2% of monthly sales in one place and 2% of the prior year’s annual revenue in another, worth settling before budgeting against it.
Aqua-Tots royalties vary between individual and multi-unit franchisees. Item 6 of the 2026 Aqua-Tots FDD lists the royalty as 6% of gross revenue.
The network of locations
Schools opened and closed, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Ceased, other | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 107 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 118 |
| 2024 | 118 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 131 |
| 2025 | 131 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 138 |
Every column is as the brand reported it and each year's arithmetic returns the filed closing count exactly.
Three schools left across three years and 34 opened. Aqua-Tots had one termination and two other closures from 2023 to 2025.
Openings fell from 15 in 2024 to 7 in 2025. The one company-owned school stayed at one throughout.
The 28 state rows fall short of the printed totals in 2023 and 2024. The FDD does not explain the gap.
A multi-unit agreement commits to between two and five schools. Each school after the first costs $37,500, half payable at signing.
Advertising outside the territory or independently online needs consent. The brand owns every web page and digital space using the marks, so digital acquisition runs through the brand.
Questions we get asked
Questions an owner asks
How much does an Aqua-Tots franchise make?
Aqua-Tots franchisees averaged $1,138,797 of sales in 2025, with a median of $1,008,577, according to Item 19 of Aqua-Tots’ 2026 FDD, issued 14 April 2026. The 131 in that group are 95%* of Aqua-Tots’ 138 locations. Fees paid to Aqua-Tots come to about 8.49%* of sales. An Aqua-Tots franchise costs $1,619,820 to $2,939,590 to open.
What does an Aqua-Tots school bill?
Across 131 franchised schools in 2025 the average was $1,138,797 of sales and the median $1,008,577, with 53 of 131 reaching the average. The highest-selling billed $3,963,264 and the lowest-selling $403,177.
How much does location matter at Aqua-Tots?
It matters more than anything else here. Eight California schools averaged $2,687,841, seven in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania averaged $1,739,049, and the other 116 averaged $1,009,985. The lowest-selling California school at $1,776,609 bills more than the average school outside those states.
What does an Aqua-Tots school cost to build?
An Aqua-Tots school costs $1,619,820 to $2,939,590 to build, of which tenant improvements are $1,200,000 to $2,100,000 and the pool $250,000 to $400,000. The figures exclude buying land or constructing a building. On our reading that is 0.60 to 1.09 years of California revenue and 1.60 to 2.91 years elsewhere.
What fees does Aqua-Tots charge?
Aqua-Tots charges 6% of sales in royalty, 2% to national advertising, and about $465 a month for point-of-sale and technology. The owner also spends a required 2% on local marketing. On our reading the charges paid to the brand are 8.5% of revenue at the average school. There is no minimum royalty and no sales quota.
What territory do you get at Aqua-Tots?
Aqua-Tots grants an exclusive territory, negotiated and specified in the agreement, which may be as small as a two-mile radius. While you comply, the brand and its affiliates stay out of it entirely, as do any similar businesses they might license. Boundaries hold through the initial term and may be adjusted at renewal.
What are the deadlines at Aqua-Tots?
The agreement can be terminated if you fail to make commercially reasonable efforts to secure a location by the end of month 12, or to open to the public by the end of month 24.
How stable is the Aqua-Tots system?
Aqua-Tots had 138 franchised schools at the end of 2025, up from 107 three years earlier, with 34 openings against three departures: one termination and two other closures. The single company-owned school stayed at one throughout.
Which two numbers should run monthly at Aqua-Tots?
Track sales against your own region's average, because the all-school $1,138,797 is lifted by 15 metro schools. Then track the build against revenue, because at $1.6 million a school outside those metros takes 1.60 to 2.91 years of top-line to cover its own construction.
- The filing gives no profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- The filing breaks out no cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
Questions worth putting to Aqua-Tots
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- Which factors does Aqua-Tots see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Aqua-Tots locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Is your school billing what its region does?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around a $1,009,985 regional average, a build that costs the same everywhere. 8.5% goes to the brand, with no minimum beneath it.
Talk to Averanthe franchise library, all 447 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?It explains what each role owns and when the next hire pays for itself.
- Revenue was the highest it has been. Why did profit not move?It traces where the extra revenue went, line by line.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Aqua-Tots Swim School Holding LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Aqua-Tots® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Aqua-Tots Swim School Holding LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 14 April 2026.