FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TENNESSEE

Primrose School (Daycare) franchise in Tennessee: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Primrose School (Daycare) in Tennessee have taken 8 SBA loans since 1991 (average $1,075,837)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 3.2% is the better guide.

SBA loan outcomes · Tennesseevs national

Loans in TN

8

Resolved

7

Local charge-off

thin

National charge-off

3.2%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TN. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor of 30 loans.

Market density · Tennessee vs nationalThin market

Businesses in this industry

1,320

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

18.3

national 26.5

Versus the country

-31%

thinner

Every business in Primrose School (Daycare)'s industry operating in Tennessee — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Labor cost · Tennessee vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$577

Tennessee, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$645

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-11%

cheaper to staff

What Primrose School (Daycare)'s industry actually pays workers in Tennessee, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Tennessee6 systems
SystemLoans in TNLocal charge-offUnits in TN
Kiddie Academy11thin
The Goddard School8thin
PRIMROSE SCHOOLS7thin19
College Hunks Hauling Junk5thin4
Huntington Learning Center5thin
The Learning Experience5thin

Same sector, same state, same public records — how Primrose School (Daycare) compares to the systems a buyer in Tennessee would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

Before you sign anythingfree · 30 min · no commission

A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Primrose School (Daycare)'s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

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