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Goddard School vs Sylvan Learning — which franchise is the better buy?

Side by side from the public FDDs — no franchisor spin.

	Goddard School	Sylvan Learning
Disclosure honesty	C	D
Investment from	$1,003,500	$117,600
Total fees	11%	16%
Outlets	665	433
Lawsuits	1	4

Goddard School: what their numbers say

Discloses gross revenue and EBITDA for 620 mature and 37 new schools (2025). No owner net income after debt service, owner salary, or taxes shown. Cherry-picks EBITDA; omits interest, depreciation, owner compensation, and below-the-line costs.

Sylvan Learning: what their numbers say

Discloses 2025 gross sales by quartile for 409 of 433 centers; top quartile avg $795K, bottom quartile avg $120K. No profitability, expenses, or net income data provided. Excludes 24 centers; cherry-picks gross revenue only.

Get the real owner take-home for either — $149

Full net-profit math, financing, red flags. See a sample →