SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · NORTH CAROLINA
The Goddard School franchise in North Carolina: what the public record shows
Franchisees of The Goddard School in North Carolina have taken 37 SBA loans since 1991 (average $2,008,908), and of the 13 loans whose story has ended, 7.7% were charged off — versus 2.9% for The Goddard School nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in NC
37
Resolved
13
Local charge-off
7.7%
National charge-off
2.9%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NC. 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.
Businesses in this industry
2,826
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
25.6
national 26.5
Versus the country
-3%
thinner
Every business in The Goddard School's industry operating in North Carolina — 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
$612
North Carolina, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$645
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-5%
cheaper to staff
What The Goddard School's industry actually pays workers in North Carolina, 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.
| System | Loans in NC | Local charge-off | Units in NC |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRIMROSE SCHOOLS | 37 | 0.0% | 26 |
| Kiddie Academy | 30 | 0.0% | — |
| Primrose School (Daycare) | 20 | 0.0% | — |
| SYLVAN LEARNING | 19 | 17.6% | 29 |
| Kids R Kids | 16 | 6.7% | — |
| The Learning Experience | 12 | thin | — |
| Childrens Lighthouse | 10 | thin | — |
| Goddard Early Learning Center | 8 | thin | — |
| Ivybrook Academy | 8 | thin | 0 |
| Huntington Learning Center | 7 | thin | — |
| School of Rock | 6 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how The Goddard School compares to the systems a buyer in North Carolina 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 The Goddard School's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.