Goldfish Swim School

Infant and child swimming lessons
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2025 Franchise 500 Rank
#75 Ranked #74 last year
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Initial investment
$2.6M - $6M
Units as of 2025
181 Increase 36.1% over 3 years

Are you ready to help your kids dive into one of the most well-known swim schools around? Goldfish Swim School offers swimming lessons to kids from the age of 4 months to 12 years. They may equip swimmers with life-saving and life-changing skills.

Goldfish Swim School was founded by Jenny and Chris McCuiston in 2006. The swimming business started franchising in 2008 following a rise in demand for swimming lessons. Since then, the Goldfish Swim School franchise has expanded to many locations in both the United States and Canada.

Why You May Want to Start a Goldfish Swim School Franchise

The Goldfish Swim School brand may be known for the vibrant and bright colors that attract young children to learn in their pools. They're also popular for their proprietary curriculum, the Science of SwimPlay, and their use of warm, clean water. Goldfish Swim School has skilled instructors, each one handling only a few children at a time. Becoming a Goldfish Swim School franchisee may be a fun adventure, especially if you have a passion for changing kids’ lives and giving them confidence.

With the demand for swimming lessons, Goldfish Swim School may offer some of the most well-known curriculums around. You could be part of a growing franchise that had more than 175 locations in the United States and Canada. 

What Might Make a Goldfish Swim School Franchise a Good Choice?

Multiple times in recent years, Goldfish Swim School has been ranked in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

Families may be constantly looking for prestigious places to take their infants and children for high-quality swim lessons. This company's franchisees meet these demands while building their own investment.

To become part of the Goldfish Swim School team, you should ensure that you are financially sound enough for an initial investment that will consist of a franchise fee and other startup costs. You’ll also want to make sure you have enough capital available to cover ongoing fees that will include advertising and royalty fees.

As a franchisee, you may get on-the-job training and classroom instruction to give you the experience and skills needed to run your Goldfish Swim School. Its team may also help you choose a location for your franchise before assisting you in designing and constructing the facility. They should also provide guidance in creating a franchise website, advertising material, and marketing platforms.

How to Open a Goldfish Swim School Franchise

To get started with the process of opening a Goldfish Swim School franchise, ask yourself one question: do you like to play? This franchise values "play" as an essential part of their learning method. If you're on board with their approach, it might be time to take the plunge. 

As part of the process, a Goldfish Swim School representative will usually contact you and introduce you to the team. They'll assess your potential as a franchisee. Once you're approved, you will attend training workshops and classes for dozens of hours. Corporate will also likely give you a tour of an established Goldfish Swim School to familiarize yourself with the franchise activities. 

Before you know it, you'll be opening the doors to your own Goldfish Swim School. And as they say in swimming—if you have a lane, you have a chance. 

Find Your Franchise Match

Company Overview

About Goldfish Swim School

Industry Children's Businesses
Related Categories Swimming Lessons, Children's Fitness Programs, Miscellaneous Recreation Businesses, Children's Education/Enrichment, Sports
Founded 2006
Parent Company Goldfish Swim School Franchising LLC
Leadership Chris McCuiston, CEO
Corporate Address 2701 Industrial Row Dr.
Troy, MI 48084
Social Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since 2008 (17 years)
# of employees at HQ 54
Where seeking

This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.

This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions: Canada

# of Units 181 (as of 2025)
Line graph showing the number of units this franchise had for the last 5 years.
U.S. FranchisesInternationalCompany OwnedTotal
100%

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Goldfish Swim School franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Information Circle
$50,000
Initial Investment Information Circle
$2,600,000 - $6,000,000
Net Worth Requirement Information Circle
$2,000,000
Cash Requirement Information Circle
$1,000,000
Royalty Fee Information Circle
6%
Ad Royalty Fee Information Circle
2%
Term of Agreement Information Circle
15 years
Is franchise term renewable? Yes
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Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing Goldfish Swim School has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training 34 hours
Classroom Training 58 hours
Ongoing Support
Newsletter
Meetings & Conventions
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Lease Negotiation
Field Operations
Site Selection
Proprietary Software
Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support
Co-op Advertising
Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social Media
SEO
Website Development
Email Marketing

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed? No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Information Circle
No
Can this franchise be run part time? Information Circle
No
# of employees required to run 45
Are exclusive territories available? Information Circle
Yes
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Franchise 500 Ranking History

Compare where Goldfish Swim School landed on this year's Franchise 500 Ranking versus previous years.

100%

Additional Rankings

Curious to know where Goldfish Swim School ranked on other franchise lists? Find out below.

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Disclaimer
The information on this page is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any particular franchise or business opportunity by Entrepreneur Media. Our listings and rankings are solely research tools you can use to compare opportunities. Entrepreneur stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing in a franchise or business opportunity. That should include reviewing the company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant, and talking to former and current franchisees/licensees/dealers.
Updated: December 12th, 2022