An education network can have a respected brand, a strong teaching method, and committed franchisees. Yet there comes a point when growth demands capabilities that are difficult to build alone: technology, data, leadership development, capital, and the ability to execute consistently across hundreds of locations. The 2026 Education Sector Report, conducted by the Brazilian Franchising Association’s Education Committee in partnership with Praxis Business, offers a useful view of that challenge. Its 27 participating brands represent 5,050 locations. The findings describe these networks, rather than every education franchise in Brazil, but they reveal where the sector is directing its attention. Every participating network opened new franchised locations in 2025, and 70.3% expect revenue to grow in 2026. At the same time, 80.8% identify network expansion as a major challenge. To me, the question is clear: how do we build the capacity to sustain the growth that brands are pursuing? Student acquisition makes that question more urgent. Between 2025 and 2026, the estimated average acquisition cost reported for franchisors rose from R$146 to R$208. For franchisees, it rose from R$121 to R$259. These figures are weighted estimates based on response ranges, but the direction matters. When attracting each new student costs more, understanding their needs and making the most of existing relationships become increasingly important to a location’s economics. Student referrals became the leading acquisition source in 2026. That finding points back to the quality of the experience itself. A student who learns, stays, and recommends a school strengthens both its educational impact and its business. Marketing and technology can help a network act on that trust, but the trust begins in the classroom. The research also invites us to look at the student’s entire journey. Estimated average enrollment duration fell from 23.6 months in 2024 to 19.5 months in 2026. It would be premature to call this a retention problem: the report also records a decline in its measures of monthly attrition. One possible explanation is that students are completing courses and moving between classes more quickly. Networks need to understand what happens at those transition points. A group with complementary education brands may also be able to offer students a longer and more relevant learning journey, provided each next step serves a real need. There is a similar gap between allowing multiunit ownership and developing it as a growth engine. While 85.2% of the networks permit some form of multiunit franchising, 44.4% have no more than 10% of their locations under multiunit operators, or have yet to adopt the model in practice. Helping strong operators grow requires more than permission. It requires reliable support, sound governance, and a model that works well before the next location opens. Technology presents another opportunity. The report finds that 80.8% of participating networks already use artificial intelligence in at least one application. Adoption is more common in management and operations than in the student learning experience. The next challenge is to turn individual tools into measurable improvements: better commercial decisions, stronger support for teachers, and more effective learning. This is the thinking behind House of Education. We believe strong education brands can grow further by sharing capabilities while preserving what made each of them valuable to students and franchisees. A common platform can help brands invest in technology, develop leaders, improve operations, and pursue opportunities that would take longer or cost more to build independently. The ABF research does not test our thesis or suggest that joining a group is the right answer for every network. It does, however, document the conditions that led us to build House of Education: expansion remains a priority, acquiring students is becoming more expensive, multiunit growth has room to develop, and technology has more to contribute to teaching and learning. After years working alongside education brands, franchisees, and their teams, I believe scale matters when it improves what happens at each location. Our ambition is to bring together companies that can learn from one another and grow with greater capability. If we succeed, the result will be visible where it matters most: in students’ experiences and in the strength of the people who serve them. Source: 2026 Education Sector Report, Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF) Education Committee and Praxis Business. Figures refer to the networks that participated in the survey.
The Next Chapter of Education Franchising Will Be Built Together
ABF’s 2026 education franchising report points to rising student acquisition costs, untapped multiunit growth, and opportunities to use technology more effectively. Bruno Heubel Gagliardi explains how these findings inform the House of Education thesis.
Bruno Gagliardi · 2026-09-25 · 4 min read