SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · WASHINGTON
SYLVAN LEARNING franchise in Washington: what the public record shows
Franchisees of SYLVAN LEARNING in Washington have taken 9 SBA loans since 1991 (average $365,111)— 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 23.9% is the better guide. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 20 franchised outlets in Washington (fiscal 2025) — about 0.25 per 100k residents.
Loans in WA
9
Resolved
7
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
23.9%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = WA. 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.
Businesses in this industry
2,606
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
32.7
national 26.5
Versus the country
+23%
denser
Every business in SYLVAN LEARNING's industry operating in Washington — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$708
Washington, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$645
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+10%
costlier to staff
What SYLVAN LEARNING's industry actually pays workers in Washington, 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 21 | — |
| 2024 | 20 | — |
| 2025 | 20 | — |
| System | Loans in WA | Local charge-off | Units in WA |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Goddard School | 25 | 0.0% | — |
| Kiddie Academy | 11 | thin | — |
| School of Rock | 8 | thin | — |
| Huntington Learning Center | 7 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how SYLVAN LEARNING compares to the systems a buyer in Washington would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing SYLVAN LEARNING's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.