SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
SYLVAN LEARNING franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of SYLVAN LEARNING in California have taken 37 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $260,275). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. SYLVAN LEARNING's national ratio is 1.1× (not clearly different from 1.0×). Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 61 franchised outlets in California (fiscal 2025) — about 0.15 per 100k residents.
Loans in CA
37
Charged off (all years)
8 of 25
Loss ratio in CA
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
1.1×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. 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
11,669
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
29.6
national 26.5
Versus the country
+12%
denser
Every business in SYLVAN LEARNING's industry operating in California — 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
$773
California, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$645
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+20%
costlier to staff
What SYLVAN LEARNING's industry actually pays workers in California, 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 58 | — |
| 2024 | 62 | — |
| 2025 | 61 | — |
| System | Loans in CA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in CA | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington Learning Center | 28 | 10 of 23 | — | — |
| Kiddie Academy | 27 | 0 of 10 | — | — |
| The Goddard School | 22 | 0 of 7 | — | — |
| THE LITTLE GYM | 18 | 3 of 10 | — | — |
| Arthur Murray Dance Studio | 17 | 0 of 9 | — | — |
| PRIMROSE SCHOOLS | 17 | 0 of 4 | — | 9 |
| Tutor Time | 15 | 3 of 13 | — | — |
| The Learning Experience | 14 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| MY GYM | 13 | 3 of 12 | — | — |
| School of Rock | 12 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| Building Kidz School | 11 | 0 of 5 | — | 32 |
| CODE NINJAS | 11 | 0 of 5 | — | 51 |
Other systems in SYLVAN LEARNING's sector whose franchisees borrowed in California. 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 SYLVAN LEARNING’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.