SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MARYLAND
Mad Science franchise in Maryland: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Mad Science in Maryland have taken 5 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $696,900). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Mad Science's national ratio is 0.7× (not clearly different from 1.0×).
Loans in MD
5
Charged off (all years)
0 of 4
Loss ratio in MD
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
0.7×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MD. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
1,689
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
27
national 26.5
Versus the country
+2%
denser
Every business in Mad Science's industry operating in Maryland — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$696
Maryland, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$645
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+8%
costlier to staff
What Mad Science's industry actually pays workers in Maryland, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| System | Loans in MD | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MD | Units in MD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiddie Academy | 42 | 1 of 24 | — | — |
| The Goddard School | 40 | 0 of 25 | — | — |
| PRIMROSE SCHOOLS | 20 | 0 of 2 | — | 7 |
| Huntington Learning Center | 15 | 3 of 13 | — | — |
| CELEBREE SCHOOLS | 11 | 0 of 2 | — | 11 |
| BRITISH SWIM SCHOOL | 7 | — | — | 11 |
| Gymboree | 5 | 0 of 4 | — | — |
| THE LITTLE GYM | 5 | 1 of 5 | — | — |
Other systems in Mad Science's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Maryland. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Mad Science’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.