SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · NEW JERSEY
The Learning Experience franchise in New Jersey: what the public record shows
Franchisees of The Learning Experience in New Jersey have taken 50 SBA loans since 1991 (average $608,722), and of the 25 loans whose story has ended, 4.0% were charged off — versus 6.7% for The Learning Experience nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in NJ
50
Resolved
25
Local charge-off
4.0%
National charge-off
6.7%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = NJ. 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
2,946
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
31
national 26.5
Versus the country
+17%
denser
Every business in The Learning Experience's industry operating in New Jersey — 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.
| System | Loans in NJ | Local charge-off | Units in NJ |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Goddard School | 56 | 0.0% | — |
| Goddard Early Learning Center | 53 | 11.1% | — |
| Kiddie Academy | 41 | 3.6% | — |
| PRIMROSE SCHOOLS | 27 | 0.0% | 16 |
| Goldfish Swim School | 12 | thin | — |
| Learning Express | 11 | thin | 8 |
| School of Rock | 9 | thin | — |
| SYLVAN LEARNING, SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER, SYLVAN | 9 | thin | 11 |
| Huntington Learning Center | 8 | thin | — |
| Arthur Murray Dance Studio | 7 | thin | — |
| Kids R Kids | 7 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how The Learning Experience compares to the systems a buyer in New Jersey 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. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing The Learning Experience's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →