Dallas–Fort Worth childcare real estate: values, cap rates & market data.
What childcare centers and daycare properties are worth in the Dallas–Fort Worth market — grounded in our own sold-comps database, our 2025 tuition survey, and U.S. Census data.
Dallas–Fort Worth, TX childcare market — key figures
The median childcare real estate cap rate in Texas is 7.68%, based on 43 of 56 sold childcare transactions compiled by Little Scholars Real Estate, at a median sold price of $375 per square foot.
In the Dallas–Fort Worth, TX metro, 9 national-chain childcare centers surveyed in 2025 reported median monthly tuition of $1,537 for infants and $1,256 for preschool.
The Dallas–Fort Worth, TX metro has 503,010 children under age five and a median household income of $87,155; its population grew 7.6% and its under-five population declined 1.5% 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).
America's biggest childcare development market.
DFW added more than 550,000 residents from 2018 to 2023 — the largest absolute growth of any metro we track — while the under-5 count held nearly flat and median household income reached $87,155.
Texas is the deepest comp pool in our dataset: 56 sold childcare transactions trading wide, 6.9–8.8% around a 7.7% median — new supply keeps pricing honest. The surveyed schools are big new-build academies (capacities of 175–257) in the northern growth arc: Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Little Elm.
Real rates from Dallas–Fort Worth-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tutor Time | Colleyville (Pool Rd) | $1,611 | $1,256 | 145 |
| Bright Horizons | Fort Worth (Enderly Pl) | — | $1,640 | 160 |
| La Petite Academy | Plano (E Park Blvd) | $1,537 | $1,039 | 136 |
| Kiddie Academy | Rockwall (N Lake Shore Dr) | $1,407 | $1,169 | 185 |
| Kiddie Academy | Frisco (Coit Rd) | $1,516 | $1,299 | 226 |
| Kiddie Academy | Allen (W Exchange Pkwy) | $1,602 | $1,256 | 257 |
| Kiddie Academy | Fort Worth (Tehama Ridge Pkwy) | $1,680 | $1,299 | 250 |
| Kiddie Academy | McKinney (Virginia Pkwy) | $1,537 | $1,299 | 175 |
| Kiddie Academy | Little Elm (FM 423) | $1,537 | $1,256 | 188 |
Every licensed center in metro Dallas–Fort Worth.
Texas publishes its full child-care operations register. We counted every open Licensed Center across metro Dallas–Fort Worth — licensed capacity, age groups served, and subsidy acceptance.
Dallas–Fort Worth has the largest licensed supply in Texas — 2,378 centers and 322,797 seats, more than a quarter of the state's total. But 35% of those centers are not licensed to serve infants, and infant care is both the highest-rate age group and the most expensive to staff. A center with an infant license in this market holds a scarcer asset than the headline seat count suggests.
What childcare properties trade at in Texas.
Across our sold-comps database, Texas childcare properties have typically traded at 6.9–8.8% cap rates, at a median of $375 per square foot, across 56 statewide sales. Where your property lands comes down to tenant credit, lease term, and the site itself.
| 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 |
48 childcare properties currently listed for sale in Texas.
What's your Dallas–Fort Worth center worth?
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Questions from Dallas–Fort Worth owners.
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Cap rates and price per SF by national brand, from real sold transactions.
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