Kumon vs Kip McGrath vs Success Tutoring: Three Tutoring Franchise Models Compared

Search for a tutoring franchise in Australia or New Zealand and three names dominate the results: Kumon, Kip McGrath and Success Tutoring. One is a Japanese worksheet method with 300 franchises across Australia and New Zealand. One is an ASX-listed, teacher-led network that started in the Hunter Valley in 1976. One is a Sydney-born, membership-based centre brand that has gone from a spare bedroom in 2017 to an international franchise pipeline.

They are not three versions of the same thing. Each asks something different of the owner, earns money differently and suits a different kind of person. This guide compares them side by side, with every third-party figure attributed, so you can decide which model fits before you request a disclosure document.

At a glance

• Kumon: Method created in Japan in 1958 by Toru Kumon; first Australian franchise opened in Sydney in 1984. About 59,000 students across 300 franchises in Australia and New Zealand, and roughly 3.5 million students in more than 60 countries (Kumon recruitment brochure, February 2026). Worksheet-based maths and reading, instructor-led centres, often part-time hours.
• Kip McGrath: Founded in 1976 in Maitland, NSW, by teachers Kip and Dugnea McGrath (company website). ASX-listed (KME). 416 franchise centres and 37 corporate centres at 30 June 2025 (FY2025 results), operating mainly in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Teacher-led English and maths tuition in centre and online.
• Success Tutoring: Founded in Sydney in 2017 by Michael Black, franchising since around 2020. Retail-style learning centres for K-12 English and Mathematics on a membership model. Reported 35 centres with a launch schedule for 80 more in 2023 (Franchise Executives); New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore and India announced as international markets.
• Entry cost: Kumon is among the lowest in franchising, with an initial fee of about A$5,000 and start-up estimates from roughly A$9,000 to A$32,000 (Business Franchise Australia, 2022; directory listing, 2025). Kip McGrath charges a percentage-of-revenue royalty; third-party figures vary widely. Success Tutoring publishes its structure on its investment schedule.

Three tutoring franchise models explained

Kumon: the method is the product

Kumon is built around self-learning worksheets. Students complete daily sheets at a level set by assessment, attend the centre once or twice a week, and advance by mastery rather than age. The instructor marks, observes and adjusts; the worksheet does the teaching. Kumon Australia and New Zealand asks franchisees to hold a bachelor's degree in any discipline and to complete its New Instructor Development Programme (recruitment brochure, 2026). Many centres operate in leased community spaces for a few afternoons a week, which is why entry costs are low. Royalties are charged per student, and the brochure states they cover worksheet deliveries and marketing campaigns.

Kip McGrath: the teacher is the product

Kip McGrath grew out of a classroom and has always positioned itself around qualified teachers delivering small-group lessons from individual learning plans. It offers tuition in centre and online, and the company's FY2025 results describe students completing tutoring in person, online or both. It is overwhelmingly a franchise network with a small minority of corporate centres, and the franchisor earns most of its income from franchise fees calculated on centre revenue (ASX disclosures). It is also a public company, which means audited accounts, investor presentations and, in 2026, a takeover bid from Crimson Education that the board recommended on 12 October 2026 in the absence of a superior proposal (ASX announcements).

Success Tutoring: the centre and the membership are the product

Success Tutoring separates the business owner from the tutor. Franchise partners, who often come from corporate, engineering, finance or small-business backgrounds, lead a retail-style centre and a team of trained tutors who deliver a K-12 English and Mathematics curriculum maintained by head office. Families join as members rather than booking casual sessions. The franchise system is built around a pre-launch marketing programme, so centres have reported opening with 45, 55, 60 and 70+ members on day one, and a flat structure in which franchise partners deal directly with head office leadership.

What students get from each tutoring franchise

Kumon offers discipline and mastery. A child who sticks with it builds strong calculation fluency and reading stamina, and the method's global consistency means a worksheet in Auckland matches one in Osaka. It is less suited to students who need help with the specific content of this week's school programme.

Kip McGrath offers a professional teacher and a personalised plan aligned to the school curriculum, with the flexibility of online sessions. Parents are buying the reassurance of a qualified educator.

Success Tutoring offers a consistent curriculum, a team of trained tutors and a centre culture designed to make children want to attend. The values Motivate, Uplift, Inspire and the mascot Lucky the Kangaroo are visible because the brand believes enjoyment drives retention, and retention drives results. Our learning resources page shows how the curriculum is structured.

What franchise partners get

Kumon provides the worksheet system, instructor training and a globally recognised brand with 300 centres across Australia and New Zealand. Support is centred on instruction and student outcomes; the franchisee is expected to be the instructor and to run the centre personally.

Kip McGrath provides fifty years of systems, assessment and lesson-planning software, a recognised brand in three continents and public-company governance. A September 2026 investor update described a plan to re-engage with franchisees after a change of chief executive, which a prospective buyer should read in full.

Success Tutoring provides a turnkey system packaged as the "Success Kit": launch and pre-marketing support, site selection, leasing and fit-out support, tutor recruitment and tutor training through an online platform, curriculum and learning resources, ongoing marketing support, and direct access to head office leadership. Franchise partners do not need a teaching qualification.

Investment and fees

Kumon is one of the cheapest tutoring franchises to enter. Business Franchise Australia reported in December 2022 an initial franchise fee of A$5,000 and total estimated start-up costs in a commercially leased venue of roughly A$9,000 to A$32,000; a 2025 directory listing gave an initial fee of A$5,000 and a minimum investment of A$5,000 to A$30,000. Royalties are per student, so the franchisor's income scales with enrolments. The low entry reflects a model where the instructor's time, not a fit-out, is the main investment.

Kip McGrath's fees are only reliably available from its disclosure document. Its ASX reporting shows a royalty model based on centre revenue, with franchise fees around 60 per cent of continuing revenue in FY2026 (corporate presentation) and an analyst estimate of roughly 18 per cent of network billings on average. A 2026 TopFranchise directory listing quoted an initial fee of about A$72,000, a 20 per cent royalty and a total initial investment from around A$210,700, while older guides quote very different figures. Verify against the current disclosure document.

Success Tutoring does not publish fees in articles. Figures change, and every candidate receives full disclosure under the Franchising Code of Conduct. The current structure is on our investment schedule page, and our potential earnings page explains how to think about centre revenue responsibly.

The useful comparison is not the headline number but what each dollar buys: a part-time, instructor-run centre; a teacher-led centre paying a revenue royalty; or a retail-style, team-run centre with members signed before opening.

Markets and footprint in Australia and New Zealand

Kumon has the deepest footprint in the region: 300 franchises and about 59,000 students across every Australian state and territory and New Zealand (recruitment brochure, 2026), backed by more than 60 countries globally.

Kip McGrath reported 453 centres worldwide at 30 June 2025 and 433 at 30 June 2026 (ASX materials), with continuing operations concentrated in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom after exiting the United States, plus smaller operations in the Middle East and South Africa. A 2019 report put its Australian count at more than 140 centres.

Success Tutoring is the youngest and fastest-moving of the three. Reported milestones include 35 Australian centres with a launch schedule for 80 more (Franchise Executives, 2023) and franchise territories sold in more than 100 Australian locations (Inside Small Business). New Zealand was announced as its first overseas market with 25 sites planned over four years. Treat these as snapshots and check available locations for current territories in Australia and New Zealand.

Who each option suits

Kumon suits a degree-qualified person who wants to instruct personally, is comfortable with a part-time or modest centre and a low entry cost, and believes in a mastery-based method with a sixty-year track record.

Kip McGrath suits a qualified teacher or education professional who wants a long-established brand, values public-company reporting, and accepts a royalty calculated on revenue.

Success Tutoring suits a business builder from outside education who wants a visible, team-run centre, wants to open with members already signed, prefers dealing directly with head office, and wants to join while strong territories remain available.

For a deeper look at any pairing, read Success Tutoring vs Kumon and Success Tutoring vs Kip McGrath.

Frequently asked questions

Which tutoring franchise is cheapest to start in Australia?

Of the three, Kumon has the lowest published entry cost, with an initial fee of about A$5,000 and start-up estimates from roughly A$9,000 to A$32,000 (Business Franchise Australia, 2022). Low entry also means a smaller, instructor-run format; compare what each investment buys.

Do I need a teaching qualification?

Kumon requires a bachelor's degree in any discipline. Kip McGrath has historically recruited qualified teachers and education professionals; confirm current criteria. Success Tutoring does not require a teaching qualification.

Which is the biggest tutoring franchise in New Zealand?

Kumon has the widest presence across Australia and New Zealand combined at 300 franchises. Kip McGrath also operates in New Zealand. Success Tutoring announced New Zealand as its first overseas market with 25 sites planned over four years.

Is Kip McGrath being sold?

At the time of writing, Crimson Education's revised takeover offer of A$0.75 per share was open and recommended by the Kip McGrath board in the absence of a superior proposal. Ask the franchisor how a change of control would affect your agreement.

How do royalties differ between the three?

Kumon charges per student. Kip McGrath charges a percentage of centre revenue. Success Tutoring's structure is set out on its investment schedule and in its disclosure document.

Three brands, three philosophies: the method, the teacher, or the centre and its members. If the third resonates, start with our why us overview and then read the process to see how a Success Tutoring centre goes from enquiry to opening day.

All third-party trademarks belong to their respective owners. Figures about other franchises are taken from their public websites, disclosure documents or reputable franchise directories at the time of writing and may have changed; verify them directly before making any decision. This article is general information, not financial or legal advice.