What Kip McGrath Education does

Kip McGrath Education Centres Limited (ASX: KME) is a publicly listed Australian franchisor of supplementary tutoring services founded in 1976 in Maitland, NSW by Kip and Dugnea McGrath. The company specialises in literacy and numeracy remediation for primary and secondary school-aged children, delivered through a proprietary methodology that pre-assesses each student to identify learning gaps and then builds an individualised programme targeting those gaps. Core products include in-centre tutoring at 500+ franchise locations worldwide, a live interactive on-screen tutoring programme that delivers tuition remotely via computer, a Functional Literacy Programme aimed at achieving functional reading-age competency, and the Kip McGrath Learner Enrichment Centres sub-brand that partners with schools in underprivileged South African communities.

The business operates a franchise model: individual franchisees (typically teachers or education entrepreneurs) pay for the right to operate tutoring centres under the Kip McGrath brand and receive training in the company's remediation methods, access to proprietary teaching materials, and ongoing brand support, generating revenue for the franchisor through franchise fees and royalties. Distribution spans Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, with the company marketing both consumer tutoring (via free assessments and a corporate website) and franchise sales (via information sessions and webinars). End customers are primarily families seeking supplementary English and maths instruction for children who have fallen behind or need extension work, with a secondary institutional segment of schools in underserved communities.

Revenue has grown from approximately $14.4M in 2021 to roughly $20.7M in 2025, a ~10% CAGR, though profitability deteriorated sharply in 2025 with a swing to a net loss. The company is a member of the Australian Tutoring Association, holds registered trademark protection on its brand identity, and maintains its global head office in Sydney with regional offices in Gloucester (UK) and a historical founding site in Maitland, NSW.

Name

Kip McGrath Education

Legal name

Kip McGrath Education Australia Pty Ltd

Website

https://kipmcgrath.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kip McGrath Education Centres (ASX: KME) is a publicly listed Australian franchisor operating 500+ tutoring centres globally, delivering proprietary remediation programmes in English and maths to primary and secondary school children across Australia, the UK, and South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supplementary Education Tutoring Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Tutoring Services (Subject-Specific & General) (EDAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Core Curriculum Small-Group Tutoring Centers (Math/ELA/Science/Social Studies) (EDANAHAA), Virtual Tutoring & Academic Intervention (K–12) (EDAJADAH)

Keywords

• Supplementary tutoring services
• Literacy and numeracy remediation
• Education franchise network
• Live online tutoring
• Primary secondary tutoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Franchise Fees and Royalties: The company generates revenue through a franchise model where individual franchisees pay for the right to operate Kip McGrath tutoring centres. Franchisees receive access to proprietary teaching methods, materials, training, and brand support in exchange for franchise fees and ongoing royalties.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kip McGrath Education Centres operates a global franchise network of specialist tutoring centres delivering personalised English and maths remediation programmes to primary and secondary school children, built on a proprietary assessment-based learning system. The company supplements its in-centre offering with live, interactive on-screen tutoring delivered directly to families, and runs the Kip McGrath Learner Enrichment Centres programme in partnership with underprivileged schools in South Africa.

Product overview

Kip McGrath Education operates a franchise tutoring model offering specialist English and maths education for primary and secondary students. The core offering consists of Kip McGrath Education Centres (in-centre tutoring at 500+ global locations) supplemented by an online on-screen tutoring programme that delivers live, interactive lessons via computer. The company also runs Learner Enrichment Centres as a community outreach programme in South Africa. Additional services include free student assessments and a Functional Literacy Programme targeting reading competency development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kip McGrath Learner Enrichment Centres: A programme developed for underprivileged communities, particularly in South Africa, to help high-risk students read and find their place in society. Provides remediation training for teachers and offers affordable solutions with nationwide scalability via live interactive on-screen delivery or physical centres in schools.

Products and services

• Kip McGrath Education Centres In-centre specialist English and maths tutoring for primary and secondary school students, delivered through a personalised remediation programme by qualified teachers at over 500 franchise centres worldwide.
• Kip McGrath Online Tutoring (On-Screen Programme) Live, interactive online tutoring delivered via computer screen, providing families remote access to Kip McGrath's personalised English and maths programmes from home.
• Functional Literacy Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Students can improve reading age from 7.5 years to 9.5 years in 60 lessons
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Australian Tutoring AssociationmoderateOthersKip McGrath Education Centres is a member of the Australian Tutoring Association and adopts their 'Conflicts and Complaints Resolution Procedure'. As members, they commit to making every reasonable effort to fairly and quickly resolve any complaint made by a client, and complaints that cannot be resolved can be referred to the Association.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mathnasium: Franchised maths-only tutoring centres for school-age children using a method-based approach, structurally very similar to Kip McGrath's maths remediation offering and franchise model.
• Kumon: Global franchise-based math and reading programme for K–12 children with similar self-stepped worksheets and franchisee-operated centres. Most directly comparable peer given shared franchise model, subject focus and parent demographic.
• Sylvan Learning: Franchised K–12 tutoring provider offering personalised instruction in reading, writing and maths with a mix of centre-based and online delivery, competing for the same parent customer and franchisee pool.
• Tutor Doctor: Franchised one-on-one in-home and online tutoring service covering core K–12 subjects, with a similar franchise-driven GTM and target customer as Kip McGrath.
• Huntington Learning Center: US-based franchised tutoring centres providing personalised instruction, test prep and subject tutoring to K–12 students, comparable in delivery model, age group and remediation focus.
• Club Z! Tutoring: Franchised in-home and online tutoring for K–12 students across core subjects, overlapping directly with Kip McGrath on customer, subjects and franchise model.

Regional players

• Explore Learning: UK-based franchised/chain provider of maths and English tuition for primary and secondary children, directly comparable in geography (UK overlap), subject focus and centre-based delivery model.
• First Tutors: UK-based private tutoring marketplace connecting parents with tutors across subjects and levels — adjacent business model (marketplace vs franchise) but overlapping target customers in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Varsity Tutors: Large-scale digital tutoring platform owned by a larger education group offering live online tutoring, test prep and on-demand help — overlaps with Kip McGrath's online channel but at much broader scale and with a different business model.
• Imagine Learning: EdTech incumbent providing digital curriculum and intervention solutions to schools, including literacy and numeracy remediation at scale — competes for the same remediation need through a school-channel rather than consumer franchise model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kipmcgrath_uk
• Facebookfacebook.com/kip-mcgrath-global-726100684189485
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kip-mcgrath-education-centres

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kip McGrath Education