SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MISSOURI
SYLVAN LEARNING franchise in Missouri: what the public record shows
Franchisees of SYLVAN LEARNING in Missouri have taken 13 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $210,653). 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 6 franchised outlets in Missouri (fiscal 2025) — about 0.1 per 100k residents.
Loans in MO
13
Charged off (all years)
3 of 9
Loss ratio in MO
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
1.1×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MO. 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
1,504
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
24.1
national 26.5
Versus the country
-9%
thinner
Every business in SYLVAN LEARNING's industry operating in Missouri — 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
$577
Missouri, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$645
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-11%
cheaper to staff
What SYLVAN LEARNING's industry actually pays workers in Missouri, 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 | 8 | — |
| 2024 | 8 | — |
| 2025 | 6 | — |
| System | Loans in MO | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MO | Units in MO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Goddard School | 22 | 0 of 13 | — | — |
| PRIMROSE SCHOOLS | 10 | 0 of 3 | — | 7 |
| THE LITTLE GYM | 7 | 1 of 7 | — | — |
| Kiddie Academy | 5 | 0 of 1 | — | — |
| The Learning Experience | 5 | 0 of 2 | — | — |
Other systems in SYLVAN LEARNING's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Missouri. 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.