Mathnasium Franchise

Mathnasium’s franchise history dates to late 2003, when Mathnasium Center Licensing, LLC began offering franchises. That company remained the franchisor through August 2024. The current franchisor, Mathnasium Franchisor LLC, was organized in Delaware on July 11, 2024 and began offering franchises in September 2024 after a restructuring. Based in Los Angeles, it became the franchisor for existing and future Mathnasium centers outside Canada, while its predecessor continues to provide franchisee support under a management agreement. A Roark Capital Management-owned entity acquired a majority interest in the parent company in November 2021.

The system centers on assessments that identify each student’s learning needs, individualized learning plans and engaging live instruction. Centers generally operate during after-school hours, opening at least five days a week for at least four hours per day. At the end of 2025, the FDD reported 1,043 franchised and four company-owned U.S. centers, compared with 995 franchised and four company-owned U.S. centers at the end of 2024. It separately reported 104 franchised centers in Canada and 108 outside the United States and Canada.

The April 30, 2026 FDD estimates an initial investment of $127,316–$165,846 for a first center, including the $49,000 initial franchise fee. An additional center is estimated at $104,816–$143,346, including a $26,500 franchise fee. These are total startup estimates, not franchise-fee ranges. The first-center estimate includes $35,000–$45,000 in additional funds for four months; that allowance excludes owner compensation and royalties. Qualified operators can also apply for a separate development agreement, with its own fees and opening schedule.

Mathnasium provides staged preparation in instruction and business operations. The initial program starts with approximately 30 hours of self-paced videos, assignments and knowledge checks, followed by four half-days of live virtual instruction. A further approximately 40 hours of self-paced work develops practical sales, marketing and educational skills. After approval from a Franchise Support Specialist, trainees attend another four half-days of virtual instruction and three full days of practical experience in an operating Mathnasium center in Los Angeles. Topics include student assessment, the Mathnasium Method, learning materials, site selection, staffing, parent relationships, accounting and the Radius management system.

The required owner participants must successfully complete initial training within 180 days of signing. A non-owner Center Director must complete the designated director training before opening. Tuition for up to two initial participants is included in the initial franchise fee; additional participants cost $1,000 each. Travel, accommodation and other attendance expenses are the franchisee’s responsibility. Buyers transferring an existing operating center have a separate $3,000 training fee for up to two people. Center Directors and instructors must also complete the training prescribed for their roles.

Before opening, Mathnasium reviews and accepts or rejects the proposed site, provides digital access to the operating manuals during training, assigns the center’s community name and verifies required insurance and the background-check vendor. The franchisee locates the premises and manages the buildout; Mathnasium is not obligated to identify available sites. Operations must begin within six months after signing, subject to securing the site, permits, construction and equipment.

After opening, owners must complete at least 12 one-hour Building Blocks webinars during their first year. Mathnasium provides periodic ongoing or supplemental training, currently without a training fee, although travel and living costs remain the franchisee’s responsibility. Ongoing resources include system and manual updates and the required Radius technology platform, currently $266 per center per month. If an annual convention is held, attendance is required; the current convention fee is $550 per attendee, plus attendance expenses.

Marketing support includes brand marketing and a centralized digital and local marketing program. New franchisees pay $250 plus 2% of monthly gross receipts toward brand marketing and at least $1,000 monthly for the digital and local program, starting two months before the anticipated opening. The latter contributions count toward required local advertising: $5,500 before opening and $6,000 in each consecutive three-month period after opening. Advertising cooperatives may also require participation. Spending in a particular center’s territory or benefits proportional to its contributions are not guaranteed.

Mathnasium may appeal to an entrepreneur who wants to build a community education business around one clear specialty: helping children develop their math skills. Diagnostic assessments, customized learning plans and a defined instructional system give the owner and teaching team a common framework for serving students. The center model also offers an ongoing relationship with families through regular visits, rather than relying only on occasional tutoring requests.

The strongest fit is an involved owner who can recruit and develop instructors, communicate with parents and lead local enrollment efforts. Mathnasium requires an owner to participate actively in supporting and managing the franchise; it is not seeking passive investors. The owner must act as or employ a trained Center Director who devotes normal retail business hours to the center’s management and development. At least two adults must be present when children are in the center.

Territory protection is conditional: while the franchisee meets system, enrollment and gross-receipts requirements, Mathnasium and its affiliates will not place another Mathnasium center within the designated territory. The territory is not exclusive, and the franchisor retains other distribution and competitive rights. For qualified owners interested in expansion, additional centers require separate approval and agreements. This combination of a focused educational offering, established operating resources and active local ownership is the core reason to consider Mathnasium.

Read more in Mathnasium Cost and Programs: What Families and Franchise Buyers Should Know.