SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ILLINOIS
The Learning Experience franchise in Illinois: what the public record shows
Franchisees of The Learning Experience in Illinois have taken 11 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $586,700). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. The Learning Experience's national ratio is 0.7× (not clearly different from 1.0×).
Loans in IL
11
Charged off (all years)
0 of 8
Loss ratio in IL
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
0.7×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IL. 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
3,436
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
27
national 26.5
Versus the country
+2%
denser
Every business in The Learning Experience's industry operating in Illinois — 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
$683
Illinois, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$645
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+6%
costlier to staff
What The Learning Experience's industry actually pays workers in Illinois, 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.
| System | Loans in IL | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in IL | Units in IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Goddard School | 53 | 1 of 31 | — | — |
| Kiddie Academy | 44 | 0 of 21 | — | — |
| SYLVAN LEARNING | 19 | 2 of 10 | — | 11 |
| Huntington Learning Center | 16 | 4 of 13 | — | — |
| PRIMROSE SCHOOLS | 16 | 0 of 3 | — | 9 |
| Goldfish Swim School | 13 | 0 of 6 | — | — |
| THE LITTLE GYM | 9 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| School of Rock | 8 | 0 of 1 | — | — |
Other systems in The Learning Experience's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Illinois. 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 The Learning Experience’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.