Boston childcare real estate: values, cap rates & market data.
What childcare centers and daycare properties are worth in the Boston market — grounded in our own sold-comps database, our 2025 tuition survey, and U.S. Census data.
Boston, MA childcare market — key figures
The median childcare real estate cap rate in Massachusetts is 7.49%, based on 4 of 7 sold childcare transactions compiled by Little Scholars Real Estate, at a median sold price of $325 per square foot.
In the Boston, MA metro, 8 national-chain childcare centers surveyed in 2025 reported median monthly tuition of $3,226 for infants and $2,631 for preschool.
The Boston, MA metro has 249,514 children under age five and a median household income of $112,484; its population grew 2.2% and its under-five population declined 3.6% between 2018 and 2023.
Little Scholars Real Estate is a childcare-only business and real estate brokerage led by Alan Stahl, with 80 transactions closed across 18+ states.
Sources: Little Scholars Real Estate sold-comps database (592 childcare transactions across 41 states, updated June 2026); Little Scholars 2025 tuition survey, rates received directly from individual schools; U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2018 and 2023). Figures may be cited or republished with attribution to Little Scholars Real Estate (CC BY 4.0).
The most expensive childcare in America — and it's still full.
Greater Boston's median household income reached $112,484, and infant care at the national chains' schools here runs up to $3,572 a month — the highest rates in our entire 2025 survey. Four of the eight schools we surveyed told us they were full or waitlisted.
That combination — the country's richest tuition against a metro where childcare real estate almost never trades (7 sales in our dataset) — makes an operating Boston-area center one of the scarcest assets we track. Sellers here negotiate from strength.
Real rates from Boston-market schools.
Actual monthly tuition rates our team received from national-chain schools in this market during our 2025 survey — not averages. Tuition drives revenue, and revenue drives value.
| Brand | Location | Infant / mo | Pre-K / mo | Licensed capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KinderCare | Cambridge (Cambridgepark Dr) | $3,572 | $3,118 | 156 |
| KinderCare | Needham (Highland Ave) | $3,529 | $2,879 | 100 |
| KinderCare | Lexington (Marrett Rd) | $3,334 | $2,879 | 243 |
| KinderCare | Westwood (Providence Hwy) | $3,226 | $2,901 | 176 |
| KinderCare | North Chelmsford (Research Pl) | $2,685 | $2,295 | 122 |
| KinderCare | Mansfield (West St) | $2,620 | $2,382 | 178 |
| KinderCare | Chelmsford (Billerica Rd) | $1,949 | $1,624 | 157 |
| KinderCare | Framingham (Cochituate Rd) | — | $1,930 | 123 |
What childcare properties trade at in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts childcare rarely trades — our dataset holds 7 sales at a median of $325 per square foot. The four sales that reported a cap rate ranged widely, from the high-6s to the mid-8s, so treat cap figures here as directional: with this little supply, lease quality and enrollment set the price.
| Brand (national) | Median sold cap | Median $/SF |
|---|---|---|
| KinderCare | 6.67% | $381 |
| La Petite Academy | 6.89% | $207 |
| Kiddie Academy | 6.46% | $378 |
| Tutor Time | 8.47% | $372 |
| Childtime | 6.20% | $262 |
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