Sylvan Learning Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Sylvan Learning franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Sylvan Learning discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it D.
What their own earnings claim actually says
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.
What a Sylvan Learning franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $46,900 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 11% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 16% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $117,600 – $288,400 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 11% (12% Sylvan Edge/ACE IT!); NAF 5%; local marketing 6% or $1,500/mo minimum; plus tech, call center, conference fees.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Sylvan Learning system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 433 |
| Ceased operations | 45 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 10 |
| Transferred to new owners | 26 |
| Closure rate | 10.4% of outlets |
2025: net loss of 43 franchise outlets; 45 ceased operations, 10 terminations; significant contraction from 476 to 433.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Sylvan Learning worth it? — how it compares to 60 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 16% of sales | steeper than 98% of children's education & childcare franchises |
| Startup cost | from $117,600 | cheaper than most (median $191,992) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade D | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 10.4% of outlets | worse than 89% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 4 | more litigious than 90% of peers |
Benchmarked against every children's education & childcare franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Sylvan Learning
The franchisor's framing: Discloses 2025 gross sales by quartile for 409 of 433 centers; top quartile avg $795K, bot… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Sylvan Learning franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Sylvan Learning franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $117,600–$288,400, including a $46,900 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Sylvan Learning franchise owners make?
- 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. We grade this disclosure D for honesty.
- What are the Sylvan Learning franchise fees?
- Sylvan Learning's FDD discloses a $46,900 initial franchise fee, a 11% royalty on gross sales, a 5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 16% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 11% (12% Sylvan Edge/ACE IT!); NAF 5%; local marketing 6% or $1,500/mo minimum; plus tech, call center, conference fees.
- What is the Sylvan Learning franchise profit margin?
- Sylvan Learning does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 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. Recurring fees alone take about 16% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Sylvan Learning franchise failure rate?
- 2025: net loss of 43 franchise outlets; 45 ceased operations, 10 terminations; significant contraction from 476 to 433.
- How many Sylvan Learning locations are there?
- Sylvan Learning's FDD reports 433 total outlets, with 45 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 26 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Sylvan Learning have complaints or lawsuits?
- Sylvan Learning discloses 4 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Sylvan Learning franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Sylvan Learning scores D on disclosure honesty, carries about 16% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 4 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Sylvan Learning to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36207-202604-03 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Sylvan Learning or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.