Big Blue Swim School franchise unit economics
Big Blue Swim School franchisees build and run a purpose-built indoor swim school teaching year-round lessons to children, inside an area of protection of roughly ten to fifteen minutes’ drive. Across 42 schools open all of 2025 the average was $1,636,545 of sales with a median of $1,620,442. A school in its second year already bills 76.3% of what a mature one does, and opening costs $1,898,350 to $3,478,100.
- Primary source
- Big Blue Swim School Franchising, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Items 5 and 6 for fees; Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 42 of 30 locations
- Our calculations
- Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.
A school in its second year already bills 76.3% of what a mature one does, $1,347,898 against $1,765,429. That build-up matters, because opening costs $1,898,350 to $3,478,100. And the local marketing requirement runs backwards: 6% of revenue below $1.5 million, falling to 2% above $2.5 million.
- A second-year school bills 76.3% of a mature one. $1,347,898 against $1,765,429 across all schools, and $1,320,055 against $1,728,979 among franchised ones *. The same ratio both ways, so the build-up is consistent.
- Local marketing falls as revenue rises, from 6% to 2%. 6% below $1,500,000, then 5%, 4%, 3% and 2% above $2,500,000. So Franchise fees runs 16.0% at a second-year school and 12.0% at the highest-selling one *.
- The minimum royalty is $71,500 a year and 6% overtakes it at $1,191,667. $5,500 for each four-week period *. The lowest-selling school billed $430,514, so its royalty is 16.6% of revenue against 6%.
- The build costs 1.19 to 2.18 times a franchised school’s annual revenue. $1,898,350 to $3,478,100 including real estate against $1,598,867 *, of which $90,850 to $133,600 goes to the brand.
- Zero schools closed and zero were terminated in three years. Franchised schools went 7 to 30 and the affiliate estate 11 to 22, so the whole system tripled from 18 to 52 * with one reacquisition as the only departure.
How much does a Big Blue Swim School franchise make?
The average Big Blue Swim School unit reported $1,636,545 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $1,620,442. 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 15% 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 Big Blue Swim School performers
Big Blue Swim School splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $3,371,295 a year. The worst averaged $430,514. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $1,620,442. The average was $1,636,545. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 7.8× gap between bands, and 7.8× between the strongest and weakest single location, is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Territory, and how much of it is real.This model sells from a territory rather than a building. Two owners with the same brand and different ground are running different businesses, and density decides how much driving sits between jobs.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $1,898,350 to $3,478,100, a 1.8× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.
Live operating levers
- Enrolment, the operating driver.This model bills on enrolment. The licence fixes how many places exist, so what is left is how many are filled, what each is priced at, and how long a family stays. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 15.0% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.
- The first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up, so the ramp can be underwritten from the document rather than assumed. Read two things out of it: the month sales cross the point where costs are covered, and how much cash you fund before that month arrives. Everything before break-even is paid for by you.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.42 of 30 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
- What the disclosure leaves out.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. The brand’s own locations are the only margin signal in the document, and they are run by the people who wrote the playbook.
Mature and building up
The second year gets you three quarters of the way there.
| Group | All schools | Affiliate owned | Franchised |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 42, average | $1,636,545 | $1,677,992 | $1,598,867 |
| All 42, median | $1,620,442 | $1,701,774 | $1,465,723 |
| All 42, highest | $3,371,295 | $2,707,122 | $3,371,295 |
| All 42, lowest | $430,514 | $430,514 | $692,436 |
| All 42, at or above the average | 20 of 42, 48% | 10 of 20, 50% | 10 of 22, 45% |
| Mature, 29, average | $1,765,429 | $1,804,482 | $1,728,979 |
| Mature, median | $1,674,627 | $1,775,682 | $1,651,117 |
| Mature, at or above the average | 15 of 29, 52% | 9 of 14, 64% | 6 of 15, 40% |
| building up, 13, average | $1,347,898 | $1,382,849 | $1,320,055 |
| building up, median | $1,510,438 | $1,528,829 | $1,341,679 |
| building up, at or above the average | 8 of 13, 62% | 4 of 6, 67% | 4 of 7, 57% |
Every figure is as the brand reported it. Mature meaning opened in 2023 or earlier and building up meaning opened during 2024, excluding the ten schools that opened during 2025.
The gap between a second-year school and a mature one is $417,531. *, and the ratio holds at 76.3% whether measured across all schools or across franchised ones alone, which makes it an usable planning number.
The building up median exceeds the building up average. $1,510,438 against $1,347,898 *, pulled down by the system’s lowest-selling school at $430,514, so the typical second-year school is closer to $1.5 million than to $1.35 million.
Affiliate-owned schools bill about 4.5% more at every years open. 4.9% across all schools, 4.4% among mature ones and 4.8% among building up ones *, a consistent and modest edge.
The highest-selling school in the system is a franchised one. $3,371,295 against a best affiliate school of $2,707,122, 24.5% more *, and 7.83 times the lowest-selling school anywhere in the group.
The franchised median is 91.7% of the franchised average. $1,465,723 against $1,598,867 *, against an affiliate median that sits above its own average, so the franchised group has the longer tail at both ends.
Bigger pays more, not less
The smaller you are, the more you must spend.
| Charge | Rate | $430,514 | $1,347,898 | $1,598,867 | $1,765,429 | $3,371,295 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 6% or $5,500 a four-week period | $71,500 | $80,874 | $95,932 | $105,926 | $202,278 |
| Brand fund | 2% now, up to 3% | $8,610 | $26,958 | $31,977 | $35,309 | $67,426 |
| Local marketing | 6% to 2% by trailing revenue | $25,831 | $80,874 | $79,943 | $70,617 | $67,426 |
| Software license | 1.3% to 2% | $8,610 | $26,958 | $31,977 | $35,309 | $67,426 |
| Total | n/a | $114,551, 26.6% | $215,664, 16.0% | $239,830, 15.0% | $247,161, 14.0% | $404,555, 12.0% |
Every rate, tier and minimum is as the brand reported it at a new franchisee’s 2% software rate, and each dollar figure and share is marked *.
The local marketing scale is deliberately inverse. 6% up to $1,499,999, then 5%, 4%, 3% and 2% above $2,500,000. So a school below $1.5 million spends three times the share that the highest-selling school spends. Is the brand forcing marketing where it is most needed.
Crossing $1,500,000 of trailing revenue saves a point of local marketing. Worth $15,000 at that revenue *, and the tier boundaries at $1.75 million, $2 million and $2.5 million each save another point.
The minimum royalty of $71,500 makes the lowest-selling school pay 16.6% against 6%. $5,500 for each of thirteen four-week periods *, which 6% overtakes only at $1,191,667, so a school still building up pays the minimum.
The minimum holds off for twelve weeks. The minimum royalty starts only after a school has traded twelve weeks. The brand has agreed case by case to reduce the royalty or abate the minimum on trailing revenue. So the schedule is negotiable in practice.
An advertising cooperative of up to 4% sits unused. Zero have been formed and contributions are yet to be required, and if one were, its contributions would count toward the local marketing requirement.
Building the pool
Two million dollars, and a pool.
| Measure | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment, including real estate | $1,898,350 | $3,478,100 |
| Of which to the brand or an affiliate | $90,850 | $133,600 |
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Against a franchised school’s average revenue * | 1.19 times | 2.18 times |
| Against a mature school’s average revenue * | 1.08 times | 1.97 times |
| With development rights, minimum two schools | $1,913,350 | $3,493,100 |
Every investment figure is as the brand reported it including real estate, and the revenue comparisons are marked *.
Franchise fees take 4.8% of the low-end build and 3.8% of the high end. $90,850 and $133,600 *, so almost the entire decision here is construction and property.
A mature school earns back the low-end build in 1.08 years of revenue. $1,765,429 against $1,898,350 *, which is a revenue comparison, but it frames how much volume a pool has to have.
Development rights cost $15,000 a school in deposits. On top of the first school’s full $50,000 fee, for a minimum of two schools, so committing to a second school costs $15,000 at signing.
The area of protection is drive time, at ten to fifteen minutes. Measured from the site or from the center of the proposed trade area before a site is found, with contours set by streets and highways. So the protection follows how far a parent will drive.
Software runs 1.3% to 2% of revenue. New franchisees pay 2% and some legacy owners less depending on how many schools they hold, which at the franchised average is $31,977 a year *, a genuine percentage cost.
Three years, zero closures
Eight a year, every year, and zero lost.
| Year | At start | Opened | Terminations | Reacquired | At end | Net * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 15 | +8 |
| 2024 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 23 | +8 |
| 2025 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 30 | +7 |
Every figure is as the brand reported it and the net column is marked. Alongside an affiliate estate that went from 11 schools to 22 over the same three years.
Exactly eight franchised schools opened in each of the three years. 24 in total *, against a single departure, which was a reacquisition.
The whole system tripled, from 18 schools to 52. Franchised 7 to 30 and affiliate-owned 11 to 22 *, so the brand grew its own estate at the same pace as the franchised one.
Zero schools closed during 2025, even temporarily. Which on a build costing up to $3,478,100 is the highest-selling signal in the outlet tables, capital that heavy rarely walks away quietly.
Ten of the 52 schools opened during 2025 and sit outside the figures. Two affiliate-owned and eight franchised, 19.2% of the system *, which is what a system opening eight a year against a base of 42 looks like.
The affiliate estate is 42% of the system. 22 of 52 schools, so the brand has a large share of its own operating risk. Its schools appear in every table on this page alongside the franchised ones.
Questions we get asked
Questions an owner asks.
What does a Big Blue school bill?
Across 42 schools open all of 2025, the average was $1,636,545 of sales and the median $1,620,442, with a high of $3,371,295 and a low of $430,514. Franchised schools averaged $1,598,867 and affiliate-owned ones $1,677,992. Mature schools, meaning those open since 2023 or earlier, averaged $1,765,429; schools that opened in 2024 averaged $1,347,898.
How fast does a school build-up?
A school in its second full year bills 76.3% of what a mature one does, $1,347,898 against $1,765,429 across all schools, and $1,320,055 against $1,728,979 among franchised ones. The building up median is $1,510,438, above the building up average, because the group contains the system’s lowest-selling school at $430,514.
What does the brand take?
6% of sales in royalty, with a minimum of $5,500 for each four-week period after the first twelve weeks of trading. Plus a brand fund currently at 2% against a 3% ceiling, a software license of 1.3% to 2%. Local marketing on a sliding scale of 6% down to 2% by trailing twelve-month revenue. A cooperative of up to 4% is permitted, and zero have been formed.
Why does the marketing requirement fall as revenue rises?
Because the tiers run backwards: 6% up to $1,499,999, 5% to $1,749,999, 4% to $1,999,999, 3% to $2,499,999 and 2% above that. On our reading the whole franchise fees therefore runs 16.0% at a second-year school, 15.0% at the franchised average, 14.0% at a mature school and 12.0% at the highest-selling ones. The brand may change or remove the tiers on 30 days’ notice, though the requirement stays at or below 6%.
When does the minimum royalty stop binding?
At $1,191,667 of annual revenue, where 6% overtakes the $71,500 a year that thirteen four-week minimums come to. The lowest-selling school billed $430,514, so its royalty runs at 16.6% of revenue. The minimum starts only after twelve weeks of trading. The brand has agreed case by case to reduce the royalty or abate the minimum based on trailing revenue.
What does it cost to open?
$1,898,350 to $3,478,100 including real estate, of which $90,850 to $133,600 goes to the brand or an affiliate. The initial franchise fee is $50,000. Development rights for a minimum of two schools add a $15,000 deposit for each additional school committed to, taking the range to $1,913,350 to $3,493,100.
How big is the protected area?
Roughly ten to fifteen minutes of drive time from the accepted site, or from the center of the proposed trade area before a site is found. The precise contours set by streets, highways and other markers. It is a limited exclusive: during the term the brand and its affiliates will keep another Big Blue school out of it.
Which two numbers should run monthly?
Trailing twelve-month revenue against $1,500,000, $1,750,000, $2,000,000 and $2,500,000, because each of those thresholds cuts a point off the local marketing requirement. And revenue against $99,306 a month, which is where 6% overtakes the royalty minimum.
- No profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- 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 Big Blue Swim School
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.
- What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
- 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 Big Blue Swim School locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Finance Diagnostic 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. Checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Which marketing tier are you in?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around the trailing-revenue thresholds that each cut a point off your marketing requirement, the $1,191,667 where 6% overtakes the minimum royalty. What a build this size has to return.
Request the reviewthe franchise library, all 243 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Big Blue Swim School reads against the rest of the swim schools group: British Swim School · Goldfish Swim School. The swim schools guide compares all of them on the same figures.
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?How royalty, ad fund and minimums actually work on a monthly statement.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?A 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?Usually it is a revenue problem wearing a payroll costume.
- I run several locations. Which ones actually make money?Location-level contribution, and what it takes to see it.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?What a financial performance representation does and does not tell you.