One of the World's Largest Franchises Ranks #1 in its Category Again, for More Than Two Decades Straight On Entrepreneur's 2024 Franchise 500 list, Kumon remains in the Top 10 of all franchises—and for good reason.

In its 27 years ranking on Entrepreneur's annual Franchise 500 list, Kumon Math & Reading Centers has placed #1 in its category for 23 consecutive years. And, once again, it has placed among the Top 10 of all franchises on the list, ranking this year at No. 10 on the overall list.

The 2024 Franchise 500 is Entrepreneur's most competitive ever with 1,389 franchisors submitting which is a record number. Kumon's continued strength in franchising is a remarkable achievement, scoring in the top 5% of all companies in size/growth; the top 1% for brand strength; and the top 25% for financial strength.

"A legacy franchise brand, Kumon continues to set the standard in the education franchise industry," says Mike Shim, senior vice president of field operations for Kumon North America. "The brand continues to break new ground through the use of technology and customized instruction that helps students build a strong academic foundation."

Ending 2023 with 26,244 franchise units worldwide, Kumon is the No. 1 education franchise in North America. "Despite the current challenges in finding affordable and available commercial real estate space, we awarded more than 130 new franchise agreements this year and opened dozens of new centers," Shim says.

Formula for success.

The largest after-school math and reading program, Shim attributes Kumon's brand strength and success to a smart franchise system that's operated by passionate professionals.

"We maintain extremely low startup costs through a minimal franchise fee ($2,000) and generous incentives," Shim explains. "We want to ensure the Kumon franchise opportunity is accessible to teachers and others who are passionate about education and making a difference in the lives of children. To combat inflation, we increased the incentives in 2023.

"Kumon has led the franchise industry for decades because it is made up of professional people who are committed to making a difference in their communities through education," Shim continues. "The brand has had back-to-back years of record growth because of a growing need for supplemental education."

This spring, Shim says Kumon is making Kumon Connect available throughout Kumon North America. Kumon Connect is a web-based app that allows students to complete their Kumon worksheets on a tablet. Kumon Connect uses technology to make Kumon more accessible and reinforces its proven methodology.

Click here to learn more about Kumon and how to start your own franchise.