FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

From the filed FDD — automated extraction, check the source

2025 FDD

SBA-eligible · directory code S2664 since 2018

YOUNG REMBRANDTS

Art, music & dance lessons · parent company: not identified

Young Rembrandts teaches structured drawing and art classes to children, usually delivered as enrichment programs in schools, daycares and community centers. A franchisee manages instructors and curriculum, books the classes into local venues, and runs the scheduling and marketing rather than teaching every session personally.

YOUNG REMBRANDTS net unit count grew 14.0% over 2022–2024 per its FDD Item 20.

New to franchising? Start here

A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.

Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. Most numbers on this page come from that document; others come from federal SBA loan records and labor and census data, each labelled with its source:

  • Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
  • Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
  • Item 20 — how many locations opened, transferred and left the system, the main basis for our verdict, which rates how strong the disclosed record is, or says when the system is too new, the filing too old, or the disclosure too thin to judge.

Our rating · opinion

Too little disclosed history

48 franchised units over 3 disclosed years of Item 20 is too little history for a rating. Judge the disclosures, not a rating.

Exit rate · fiscal 2024

0.0%

vs 2.5% median across 25 comparable systems (education & children)

Cost to open

$51K–$59K

Item 7 total investment range

SBA loan losses

Too few to rate

4 seasoned resolved loans; 30 needed

Email me when this brand’s record changes

A weekly check for new filings, changes to disclosed costs or earnings, SBA loan totals, and verified public-record events. Only changes to these 1 selected brand. No email when nothing changes. Coverage depends on when source data reaches our database.

Unsubscribe in any alert. We never sell your email.

Data as of 2026-10-29. Figures come from YOUNG REMBRANDTS's public FDD filings (latest: MN 2025, extracted 2026-06-19) and SBA FOIA loan records (through FY2026), extracted by us and possibly containing errors. The rating is our opinion, not investment, legal, or tax advice. Franchisor or owner and see something wrong? Report a correction — we review every request.

What each source says

FDD record · SBA loans · model · auditor

Our answer: Too little disclosed history

The Item 20 record is too short or too small to rate; the loan record and model are context, not a verdict.

FDD record · Item 20

Too little history

Units grew 14% (2022–2024: 43 → 49); exit rate 0.0% (fiscal 2024) vs 2.5% median.

SBA loans · vs same-year loans

Too few seasoned loans

4 resolved loans approved by FY2020; 30 needed.

Modeled risk

Moderate

Directional only — too few seasoned loans to check it.

Auditor opinion · Item 21

Not extracted

We did not extract the audit opinion.

Behind the verdict

the record, factor by factor · Item 20

hi-1.0.0
Net unit growth41%

latest consecutive years · Item 20 Table 1

Strong
Exit quality29%

terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3

Weak
Transfer / churn18%

transfers vs. base · Table 3

Strong
Promise-keeping12%

actual vs. projected openings · Table 5

Weak
Transparencynot in verdict

Item 19 disclosure + completeness · shown, not counted in the verdict

Strong

Systemwide units

2022–2024

+14.0%
432022472023492024

Survival record

FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year

In fiscal 2024, 0 of 46 franchised outlets left the system — an exit rate of 0.0% (fiscal 2024), vs a 2.5% median across 25 comparable systems (education & children). An exit is not a failure: this counts terminations, non-renewals and "ceased — other reasons" as reported, and excludes transfers to new owners.

Show the outlet tables ↓
Status (FTC)202220232024
Outlets at start484347
Opened252
Transfers112
Terminations000
Non-renewals000
Reacquired by franchisor000
Ceased — other reasons710
Outlets at end434749
Net change-5+4+2

The lender's view

SBA 7(a)/504 loan outcomes · compared with franchise loans of the same years

Banks have made 7 SBA-backed loans to YOUNG REMBRANDTS franchisees since 2016. Only 4 of its loans approved by FY2020 have resolved — fewer than the 30 we need to compare it fairly with other franchise loans, so we don't rate it.

All-time, 0 of 4 resolved loans charged off (0.0%). That raw figure mixes every approval year since 2016 — loans made in 2006–08 failed at several times the rate of loans made in 2010–13 across all franchises — so it is shown as evidence, not as the score. 43% of the brand's loans have not resolved yet.

Loss vs same-year loans

—

4 seasoned resolved · 30 needed

All-time charge-off · raw

0.0%

0 of 4 resolved, every approval year

Loss given default

—

charged-off $ ÷ approved $, defaulted loans

Avg. loan · FY2020+

$83,400

what recent franchisees borrowed

Median time to default

—

shown with 10+ defaults

Lenders · FY21+ vs FY16–20

2 vs 2

distinct banks still lending

Charge-off rate by loan approval year (%) · dashed line = all franchise loans that year

SOURCE: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA LOAN DATA (DATA.SBA.GOV), FY1991–PRESENT · MATCHED TO YOUNG REMBRANDTS BY SBA FRANCHISE NAME/CODE · RESOLVED = CHARGED-OFF + PAID-IN-FULL · EXPECTED = SAME-YEAR RATE ACROSS ALL SBA FRANCHISE LOANS, LOANS ≥ ~6 YEARS OLD

What it costs — and what it drags

FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty

Buying in means a $44,500 franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $51K–$59K (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.

To open (Item 7)

$51K–$59K

all-in investment range

Franchise fee (Item 5)

$44,500

upfront, one-time

Royalty (Item 6)

10%

of sales, ongoing

If a unit does this in annual sales…$300K/yr

Starts at a placeholder of $300K — a round figure for the sector, not from YOUNG REMBRANDTS’ filings. Set your own figure and check it against this brand's Item 19 and what owners tell you.

Royalty you'd pay / yr

$30K

10% of sales, before profit

Over a 10-yr term

$300K

royalties alone, excl. ad fund

This estimate is computed by software from the brand's public filings and any inputs you enter. No CPA prepared it for you and no assurance is provided on it. Actual results will differ, and the differences may be material.

This is not profit. It covers what the FDD fixes: what you put in, and the royalty you owe on sales. Your take-home depends on instructor pay, rent, materials, and the months to breakeven, none of which the FDD fixes for your unit (some Item 19s include cost data — read it).

Build a real pro-forma for YOUNG REMBRANDTS with a buyer-paid CPA

How the earnings claim is built

FDD ITEM 19 · BASIS · 2025 FDD

This filing makes an Item 19 earnings claim; we have not yet read how it is built. Open Item 19 and check which units it covers, which it leaves out, and whether it shows costs.

Show the basis ↓

Modeled risk

FDD Risk Score · a prediction from disclosure and loan-file features

Moderate · directional · modeled

The model puts this brand in its moderate band — but this brand has too few seasoned SBA loans to check the score against, so read it as a band, not a number.

Risk percentile

Moderate

Directional · no point estimate

Modeled · vs same-year loans

band only

too few seasoned loans to check

Top drivers: System size (log units) (raises) · Item 20 exit rate (lowers) · Investment ceiling (log) (raises) · Royalty rate (lowers). Too few seasoned SBA loans to check the score — read it as a band. A linear scorecard trained on brands' vintage-adjusted SBA loss records; full spec and cross-validated accuracy on the methodology page. A score is context, not a verdict.

Public records

Bankruptcy, closure & federal court records · coverage is selective · dockets are not scored

We have no verified public-record signals published for YOUNG REMBRANDTS. This is not evidence that no events exist. Check PACER, the FDD's Item 3 (litigation) and Item 4 (bankruptcy), and recent news yourself.

8 questions to ask a YOUNG REMBRANDTS franchisee

Built from this brand's own disclosures · take it to your validation calls

The franchisor will give you a list of owners to call. Most buyers ask whether they like it. These questions come from what YOUNG REMBRANDTS has disclosed. Each one carries the number it came from, so you can check the answer against the record.

  1. 01

    2 units transferred to new owners in fiscal 2024. When you look at those, were they people cashing out a good business — or getting out of a bad one?

    Item 20 counts transfers as neutral, but a transfer can be a good sale or a reluctant exit — the filing does not say which.

    FDD Item 20 · FY2024

  2. 02

    Item 7 puts the cost to open at $51K–$59K, yet the average recent SBA loan to YOUNG REMBRANDTS franchisees was $83K — above the whole range. What did those loans pay for: new units, resales, real estate, several units at once? And what did you actually spend to open, all in?

    A loan above the disclosed range can mean buyers routinely overspend Item 7, or that SBA money in this system funds resales, property or multi-unit deals. The filing doesn't say which; an owner can.

    FDD Item 7 vs SBA approvals FY2020+

  3. 03

    You pay 10.0% royalty on gross sales, plus the ad fund, before any of your own costs. On your actual revenue last year, what did you take home as the owner — not revenue, take-home?

    Royalty is charged on sales, not profit. This is the number the brochure never shows and the one your life actually runs on.

    FDD Item 6

  4. 04

    YOUNG REMBRANDTS makes an earnings claim in Item 19. Does your unit look like that number — and do you know which units they included to build it?

    Item 19 is legal to build from a flattering subset. Ask whether they excluded new units, closed units, or company stores.

    FDD Item 19 · 2025

  5. 05

    How many months did it take to cover your own costs, and how much cash did you burn getting there?

    Ramp-to-breakeven working capital is the most underestimated line in any franchise purchase, and the most common reason otherwise-good units fail.

    Not disclosed in any FDD — ask an owner

  6. 06

    What does the franchisor charge for that you didn't expect — required tech fees, mandatory remodels, approved-supplier pricing?

    Required spending appears across Items 6, 8 and 11 rather than in one place, so buyers routinely miss the total.

    FDD Items 6, 8, 11

  7. 07

    If your agreement came up for renewal tomorrow at current terms, would you sign again?

    The single most predictive question you can ask. A hesitation is the answer.

    Ask every owner you speak to

  8. 08

    Who else should I call — including someone who left?

    The franchisor's list is curated by definition. Former franchisees are where the unflattering truth lives, and current owners usually know how to reach them.

    Ask every owner you speak to

Want this as a checklist you can take to the calls?

I'll email you the printable version, and tell you if YOUNG REMBRANDTS’ numbers move — a new filing, a rising exit rate, a distress signal. Unsubscribe in one click.

Before you sign anythingfree · 30 min · no commission

A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing YOUNG REMBRANDTS’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

Book a free 30-minute call →
Own or owned a YOUNG REMBRANDTS — or represent the franchisor?no appointment · read by a person

This page is what buyers see before they call you for validation. If the record above is wrong — or right in a way the numbers can't show — say so. Franchisors: send corrections with the page reference and we will review them against the filing and update or annotate the page. Corrections are checked against the filings; nothing you write is published with your name unless you agree to it.

YOUNG REMBRANDTS franchise questions, answered from the filings

How many YOUNG REMBRANDTS franchised outlets left the system last year?

In YOUNG REMBRANDTS's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2024), 0 of 46 franchised outlets left the system — an exit rate of 0.0% — compared with a 2.5% median across 25 comparable systems (education & children) tracked here. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons" as the franchisor reported them; it excludes transfers to new owners. The FDD does not say why each outlet left, and an exit is not the same as a failure.

How much does a YOUNG REMBRANDTS franchise cost?

Per YOUNG REMBRANDTS's 2025 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $44,500 (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $51K–$59K (Item 7).

What royalty does YOUNG REMBRANDTS charge?

YOUNG REMBRANDTS charges an ongoing royalty of 10.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2025 FDD.

Does YOUNG REMBRANDTS disclose earnings (Item 19)?

Yes — YOUNG REMBRANDTS makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2025 FDD. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.