How much does daycare tuition cost in Charlotte, NC?

In Little Scholars' 2025 survey of national-chain schools in the Charlotte market, actual monthly rates ran roughly $1,546–$1,819 for infants and $1,264–$1,559 for Pre-K, with medians of $1,639 (infant) and $1,369 (Pre-K). Rates were received directly from each school and vary by program and location.

Market intelligence · Charlotte, NC

Charlotte childcare real estate: values, cap rates & market data.

Q: What cap rates do childcare properties sell at in North Carolina?

Based on Little Scholars' sold-comps dataset, childcare real estate in North Carolina has typically traded at cap rates in the high-6% to low-7% range in recent years, with the median around 7%. Individual deals vary with tenant credit, lease term, and location.

Q: Who buys childcare centers in the Charlotte area?

Buyers include regional and national operators expanding in the Southeast, franchisees, and net-lease real estate investors. Little Scholars maintains a network of 2,800+ childcare and net-lease investors who actively acquire early-education assets.

Q: Can I sell my center without my staff or competitors finding out?

Yes. Little Scholars runs confidential sale processes — buyers are qualified and sign NDAs before any identifying information about your center is shared.

What childcare centers and daycare properties are worth in the Charlotte metro — grounded in our own sold-comps database, our 2025 tuition survey, and U.S. Census data.

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161,309

Children under 5 in the Charlotte metro (2023)

+9.7%

Metro population growth, 2018–2023

$80,201

Median household income — above the U.S. national median

+3.7%

Change in under-5 population, 2018–2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2018 & 2023), Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area.

What this means for owners

Charlotte's demographics are working for your center's value.

The Charlotte metro added nearly 240,000 residents between 2018 and 2023, and its under-5 population is still growing — at a time when many metros are losing young children. More families earning above the national median translates into enrollment demand, and enrollment demand is what underpins a center's enterprise value.

For an owner weighing a sale, that matters twice: business buyers pay up for stable enrollment in growing markets, and real-estate investors pay up for tenants backed by those same demographics.

2025 tuition rates · Charlotte market

Real rates from Charlotte-market schools.

Actual monthly tuition rates our team received from national-chain schools in the Charlotte market during our 2025 survey — not averages. Tuition drives revenue, and revenue drives value.

$1,639

Median infant rate / mo · Charlotte market

$1,369

Median preschool rate / mo · Charlotte market

73%

Median occupancy (enrollment ÷ licensed capacity), schools reporting

Brand	Location	Infant / mo	Pre-K / mo	Licensed capacity
Tutor Time	Charlotte (Erwin Rd)	$1,624	$1,373	195
Tutor Time	Charlotte (J N Pease Pl)	$1,546	$1,264	186
Tutor Time	Mint Hill	$1,654	$1,438	195
Tutor Time	Mooresville	$1,702	$1,360	199
Bright Horizons	Charlotte (N Sharon Amity Rd)	$1,580	$1,364	164
Kiddie Academy	Fort Mill, SC	$1,819	$1,559	240

Disclosure: these rates and enrollment figures were manually received by our team, directly from each school, during our 2025 survey. Only schools that shared rates are shown; figures may have changed since. Medians are computed across the schools shown; median occupancy uses only schools that reported exact enrollment. Licensed capacity per state licensing records. Source: Little Scholars 2025 brand rate survey.

National chain benchmarks

What the national chains trade at.

Median sold cap rates and price per square foot by brand, from our own sold-comps database of childcare real estate transactions.

Brand	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

Source: national per-brand medians from the Little Scholars sold-comps dataset (592 transactions, 41 states; updated June 2026), compiled from public records.

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Market activity

11 childcare properties currently listed for sale in North Carolina.

Source: on-market childcare listings on Crexi as of July 20, 2026, reviewed by our team for childcare relevance. Availability changes daily; contact us for current opportunities.

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Why Little Scholars

The childcare broker who's run one.

30⁺

Years in the industry

70⁺

Centers sold

18⁺

States nationwide

2,800⁺

Investors in our network

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FAQ

Questions from Charlotte owners.

How much does daycare tuition cost in Charlotte?

In our 2025 survey of national-chain schools in the Charlotte market, actual rates ran roughly $1,546–$1,819/mo for infants and $1,264–$1,559/mo for Pre-K, with medians of $1,639 and $1,369. Rates were received directly from each school and vary by program and location.

What cap rates do childcare properties sell at in North Carolina?

Based on our sold-comps dataset, North Carolina childcare real estate has typically traded between 6.8% and 7.3%, with the median around 7%. Individual deals vary with tenant credit, lease term, and location.

How much is my Charlotte daycare business worth?

Childcare businesses are usually valued on a multiple of SDE or EBITDA, and the real estate on its income and comparable sales. Our instant valuation tool estimates both — free and confidential.

Who buys childcare centers in the Charlotte area?

Regional and national operators expanding in the Southeast, franchisees, and net-lease real-estate investors. We maintain a network of 2,800+ childcare and net-lease investors who actively acquire early-education assets.

Can I sell my center without my staff or competitors finding out?

Yes. We run confidential sale processes — buyers are qualified and sign NDAs before any identifying information about your center is shared. Here's how our process works.

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