LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. Explores Link Between Sports Engagement, Non-Cognitive Skills, and Academic Achievement via Proprietary EdTech Platform "Milabo"

One-Year Study at a Public Elementary School Identifies Positive Correlation and Shows Potential of Individualized Digital Learning Solutions

TOKYO, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) (the "Company" or "Leifras"), a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement and Japan's leading operator of children's sports schools and school club activity support businesses, today announced the completion of a one-year empirical research study at Hachioji Municipal Takane Elementary School in Tokyo. Conducted through Leifras's proprietary non-cognitive skill assessment and data analytics platform, Milabo, the study identified a positive correlation between a student's positive attitude toward sports, the development of non-cognitive skills (essential life skills), and subsequent improvement in academic achievement. The findings further supported the effectiveness of the Company's technology-enabled educational approach and highlighted the potential of "Milabo" as a scalable digital transformation ("DX") solution for schools seeking more individualized and data-driven learning environments.

Milabo quantifies psychological growth to point toward an emerging approach in educational DX and support individualized, optimized learning environments. By enabling educators to visualize and measure developmental attributes, Milabo provides actionable insights that may support both student development and instructional decision-making.

Research Highlights: Relationship Between Sports, Non-Cognitive Growth, and Academic Performance

The study monitored 147 elementary school students (grades 4–6) over a full academic year, with assessments conducted three times per year via Milabo. The following key insights emerged:

• Academic Correlation (r = 0.21): A positive correlation was observed between the growth of non-cognitive skills and improvements in academic scores. The data suggest that nurturing non-cognitive skills may contribute to stronger educational outcomes.
• The Power of Sports Affinity: Students reporting higher levels of sports engagement, such as exercising daily or looking forward to physical education classes, exhibited significantly higher overall non-cognitive scores. A moderate correlation was found with daily physical activity (r = 0.43) and the desire to exercise outside of standard class time (r = 0.40).
• Improvement Across Five Non-Cognitive Skill Metrics: Facilitated by visual growth charts that enhanced students' metacognition, overall test groups showed upward trajectories from the first to the third trimester across all five proprietary indicators: courtesy and etiquette, leadership, cooperativeness, self-management, and problem-solving.
• Optimized Teaching and Metacognitive Feedback: Teachers utilized the immediate feedback data as a specialized diagnostic tool to customize inquiry-based learning processes, while students exhibited proactive and self-reflective behaviors.

Comment from the Project Lead at LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.

"The findings from this study illustrate that a child's love for sports fosters vital life skills, which subsequently improve their academic capabilities. This provides empirical, scientific backing for our long-standing education methodology to enhance fitness for both the mind and heart. To realize individualized learning, supporting educators with tools that objectively visualize unseen potential is indispensable. Through Milabo, we aim to expand this educational DX infrastructure nationwide to help children resiliently navigate this rapidly changing era."

Comment from Mr. Yota Gushima, Research Director at Takane Elementary School

"By deploying Milabo to visualize non-cognitive trends and provide immediate feedback, we have experienced tangible benefits both in student goal-setting and as a reliable guiding framework for teachers. We have witnessed qualitative changes in our classrooms; children are increasingly verbalizing positive mindsets, such as wanting to persevere longer or act more independently. We believe this is strong evidence that their capacity for metacognition is growing. Furthermore, our teaching staff can now pay much closer attention to each individual child's progress, enhancing the quality of our tailored instruction."

Future Outlook: Building a Sustainable Educational Ecosystem

Building on these empirical findings, Leifras intends to further investigate the mechanisms through which sports affinity may drive proactive behavior, non-cognitive growth, and academic achievement. Notably, Takane Elementary School has been selected for the Panasonic Education Foundation's 52nd Practical Research Grant for fiscal year 2026, supporting continued collaborative research. Moving forward, Leifras aims to partner with municipal governments, educational boards, and universities to expand the adoption of Milabo as an educational infrastructure solution across Japan that seeks to cultivate children's learning capacity.

About LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Leifras is a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement. The Company primarily provides services related to the organization and operations of sports schools and sports events for children. As of December 31, 2025, Leifras was recognized as one of Japan's largest operators of children's sports schools in terms of both membership and facilities by Tokyo Shoko Research. The Company's approach to sports education emphasizes the development of non-cognitive skills, following the teaching principle "acknowledge, praise, encourage, and motivate." The holistic approach that integrates physical and mental development sets Leifras apart in the industry. Building upon deep experience and know-how in sports education, Leifras also operates a robust social business sector, dispatching sports coaches to meet various community needs with the aim to promote physical health, social inclusion, and community well-being across different demographics.

For more information, please visit the Company's website: https://ir.leifras.co.jp/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as "approximates," "believes," "hopes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "plans," "will," "would," "should," "could," "may," or other similar expressions in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks, including, but not limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions, and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the registration statement and other filings with the SEC. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov.

For more information, please contact:

LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.
Investor Relations Department
Email: [email protected] 

Ascent Investor Relations LLC
Tina Xiao
Phone: +1-646-932-7242
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.