Every parent is passionate about their child’s education, and it is precisely this passion that has made the supplemental education industry such a growing business all across Canada. For prospective business owners who want to shape young minds, an education-based franchise gets an A+. We’ve rounded up the top of the class for after-school education, tutoring franchises, alternative learning schools, coding academies, and more.
Academy for Mathematics & English
Why stop at just learning a subject when you could be on your way to mastering it? Academy for Mathematics & English has a 30-year history of tutoring Canadian kids in math, English, chemistry, and physics. The brand has now grown to 40 locations, coast to coast. Students of the Academy see an average improvement of one to two grade levels, and with better grades comes newfound confidence that spills into other aspects of a child’s life.
For franchisees who want to help kids succeed and have a desire for entrepreneurship, the Academy for Mathematics & English can make the journey a little bit easier. Best of all, no teaching experience is necessary. Take advantage of the brand’s proven math tutoring system and limited inventory in creating, and add to the brand’s tens of thousands of student success stories.
Agora Prep Academy
Sometimes the best way for children to learn is by using tools and skills they already possess. This is a driving theory behind Agora Prep Academy, a unique preparatory school that inspires students to engage with curiosity in learning using a flexible, interest-based learning philosophy. Its non-traditional format is all about going beyond the tradition of the classroom. The aim of Agora is to get students engage with subjects they love, rather than learning through rote memorization.
As supplementary education becomes increasingly popular, brands like Agora Prep Academy are primed for growth. For franchisees with the goal of fueling children’s innate abilities, Agora Prep offers a unique opportunity. Programs include gardening and cooking, finance and money, mindfulness and meditation, and drama and music, among many others.
Angus Valley Montessori Schools
Looking for a full-scale alternative to day school? Look no further than Angus Valley Montessori Schools (AVMS). AVMS draws from the Montessori framework, which follows a child’s natural learning impulse, rather than a traditional, regimented school experience. The brand’s customized curriculum is designed to enhance students’ abilities toward teamwork, number sense, and physical education, among other goals.
The ideal AVMS candidate has business experience and is willing to be a hands-on owner-operator. With a minimum investment of $950,000 and an established ten-step opening process, AVMS provides new educators with the support of an experienced team of professionals and training from start-up to opening and beyond.
Beyond the Classroom
Have a calling for supporting children and youth and their parents? Consider a Beyond the Classroom franchise. The brand, founded in 1998, offers one-on-one in-home and online tutoring for students from junior kindergarten to Grade 12 in all subjects. The brand is ideal for a first-time franchisee, as incoming owners have a direct line to the founder, Cathy Thompson.
For entrepreneurs who are zeroing in an education franchise, Beyond the Classroom offers a turnkey business with support and branding included. Franchisees have the luxury of creating their own schedule and can take advantage of the franchise system’s supportive team of business owners and wealth of training and resources.
Bricks 4 Kidz
The Bricks 4 Kidz concept combines education and entertainment. The brand uses LEGO® bricks to teach STEAM and engineering concepts and inspire the inventors and innovators of the next generation. The franchise pairs the timeless joy of building with the explorative world of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
A Bricks 4 Kidz franchise opportunity provides prospective owners who have a passion for shaping young minds with a ready-built business plan. Incoming franchisees can start a low-cost, home-based business in under a year. With a $43,250 USD ($62,000) franchise investment, the brand provides everything new franchisees need to launch and run a successful business with a replicable system full of teaching and training materials, and a support network for franchisees to interact and learn from each other.
Discovery Centre International
The Discovery Centre is an experiential science facility brand sharing the wonders of STEAM with visitors across Canada. Previous exhibits have featured dinosaurs, the human body, aviation, and the ocean. Discovery Centres provide the opportunity for hands-on engagement with STEAM themes through galleries and exhibits that promote the uptake of science concepts in children.
For franchisees interested in showcasing the wonders of science in their community, Discovery Centre’s proprietary onboarding platform covers key aspects of business, like site design and buildout, raising capital, marketing, HR, and operations. The brand also offers a range of footage sizes in order to meet franchisee budgets, from 5,000 to 40,000 square feet.
Inspiration Learning Center
Inspiration Learning Center isn’t just a tutoring company; it’s also a private school licensed to offer high school credits. A homegrown brand that’s “Canadian by design,” the curriculum uses a unique approach that blends global methods of learning: the Western tradition of honing critical thinking skills with the Eastern approach toward cognitive application. With a student-centred learning environment and expert tutors, families can find the right fit for their child’s learning style, including specialized support for students with learning disabilities, extra challenges for gifted students, or accredited high school-level coursework.
Since it was founded in 2003, the brand has expanded to 13 learning centres nationally. Franchise fees are $35,000 and require a $100,000 to $150,000 investment. Prospective franchisees need not have a background in education, but should have a passion for learning and seeing students thrive.
Megamind Learning Centre
Megamind has been shaping young minds since 2012. This Canadian-born education franchise uses the Abacus Mental Math Program—a brain development program for kids that helps improve mental math skills, problem-solving abilities, and memory retention—as well as specialized subject-specific tutoring personalized for grade levels and individual students. Along with English, math, French, and school test prep, Megamind centres offer game-based coding programs for ages six to 15, helping the next generation of computer whizzes build real-world skills while having fun in Python and Roblox.
Franchisees with Megamind enjoy being part of the booming education industry with limited direct competition to the brand’s pedagogical methods, and access to the brand’s continually growing and expanding courses. Investments range from $75,000 to $198,000, and the brand is eager to expand to locations across Ontario.
Oxford Learning Centres
Oxford Learning Centres have been teaching kids across Canada for more than 40 years. With 131 locations across the country, this powerhouse brand owes its success to a unique tutoring program that uses a cognitive learning approach unique to Oxford Learning. While kids build confidence in their skills and learn how to harness learning strategies, franchisees enjoy a fulfilling career focused on enriching students’ lives.
“Helping children succeed,” is the purpose behind the brand, and Oxford Learning Centres is looking for passionate franchisees who want to foster a love of learning. Franchisees with a teaching background or experience in other professional industries are equally welcome. Investment requirements run from $132,700 to $232,175, and franchisees benefit from comprehensive in-person and online training as well as access to proprietary software and one-on-one coaching.
REACH Learning Centres
We all need a leg up sometimes, and REACH Learning Centres aim to provide that by empowering kids to reach their literacy goals. Specializing in the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction, REACH is built to assist students who are struggling to learn to read or write, with engaging, multisensory, one-on-one lessons perfectly crafted to aid those with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. REACH centres also are dedicated to parental education, providing enrichment sessions about literacy and other resources to help parents best support their child. They also empower educators and parents through training programs, offering certified Orton-Gillingham method-driven professional development across Canada.
The B.C.-based brand is active in four provinces, with six locations nationwide, and is looking to expand its reach. Entrepreneurs who want to take advantage of cutting edge, research-based methods and a system built on 20 years of experience will be a perfect fit.
Scholars
Scholars is one of Canada’s largest education franchises, with 60 locations and more than two decades in business to draw from. Catering to students of all ages, grades, and subject matter, Scholars sets itself apart with a proprietary curriculum focused on success for every individual student. Everything down to the layout of the classroom is scientifically designed with the goal of optimizing learning environments for student success.
The brand is currently accepting applications for new franchises across Canada, and around the world, with a $100,000 to $165,000 investment. Along with in-person tutoring, franchisees can offer virtual meetings on a proprietary platform. Franchisees receive training in operations, marketing, sales, IT, and more, and a 30-day pre-opening training package, as well as ongoing support through regular phone calls and monthly visits.
Steamoji Education
Fun and learning go hand in hand for kids, and at Steamoji Education, an innovative curriculum uniquely blends the two. The brand’s “Build to Solve” approach encourages skill-building and practical applications, and kids get hands-on experience in a structured STEAM (science, technology, engineering, digital arts, and math) curriculum that digs in to subjects like robotics, 3D printing, and coding.
Steamoji believes the best way to prepare children for a world of accelerating change is to expose them to core STEM skills, supplementing a school education with a multi-year curriculum focused on STEAM subjects that impart a growth mindset and help train kids for future careers. Requiring an investment of $300,000, a Steamoji franchise is perfect for owners from a wide range of backgrounds (prior STEM experience not required) who love working with children and are actively engaged in their community.
Tutor Doctor
Making learning fun is the name of the game at Tutor Doctor, a home-based education franchise that provides one-on-one tutoring services to adults and kids of any age. With low overhead, flexible hours, and a proven model, potential franchisees passionate about helping students achieve their educational goals can easily start teaching in person or online.
A $95,000 investment is required, with a $59,700 franchise fee. Incoming franchisees join more than 100 Tutor Doctor locations across Canada in the high-demand tutoring sector. Support from the brand includes training in a diverse range of subjects and tutoring styles that have earned the brand a 95 per cent customer satisfaction rate.
UCMAS Mental Math
Backed by education specialists, psychologists, and child development experts, UCMAS Mental Math uses innovative pedagogical techniques based on the Abacus method. Kids aged five to 13 learn mental math techniques using abacus beads and visualization, cultivating a love of learning and comfort with math, including complex calculations.
With its science-backed and well-established program, UCMAS offers franchisees the benefit of a proven system and proprietary curriculum that’s ready to meet the high demand for child development programs in Canada. The brand offers a low start-up cost with an investment of $30,000 to $75,000 required.
