Franchise brands › The Learning Experience
Franchise brand377 approvals since FY2010
SBA loans to The Learning Experience franchises
Approvals SBA files under the brand's franchise code. The loans are to independent franchise owners; this page describes the brand in aggregate and no franchisee.
SBA approvals by fiscal year. The federal fiscal year runs 1 October to 30 September, so FY2025 is 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. *FY2026 is open: approvals to 30 Jun 2026 only.
SBA lists 377 loan approvals since FY2010 under the The Learning Experience franchise brand, worth $282M; 176 of them came in FY2021 to FY2025.
In FY2025 there were 46, up 21% on FY2024. The average approval in the five-year window was $812K, and 25 of the approvals were 504 loans.
39 lenders made the FY2021 to FY2025 loans across 25 states; the most active were First Bank of the Lake (37), Byline Bank (11) and Readycap Lending, LLC (10).
Of loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, SBA records 4.2% as charged off, below the 6.0% for all SBA loans from those years. The figures describe loans to independent franchise owners, not the franchisor.
Loan status is as recorded by SBA at the data date; charge-off rates are computed on loans approved at least five fiscal years ago. Jobs supported are self-reported estimates from the SBA loan application, which SBA does not review, audit or validate. Data through 30 Jun 2026.
Loans by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Approvals | Dollars approved | Average approval | of which 504 | Jobs supported, as reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026* | 33 | $36.2M | $1.1M | 6 | 832 |
| FY2025 | 46 | $41.6M | $904K | 6 | 1,056 |
| FY2024 | 38 | $24.5M | $644K | 4 | 1,025 |
| FY2023 | 28 | $19.7M | $702K | 2 | 955 |
| FY2022 | 23 | $23.9M | $1.0M | 6 | 684 |
| FY2021 | 41 | $33.2M | $810K | 7 | 796 |
| FY2020 | 26 | $25.9M | $997K | 2 | 767 |
| FY2019 | 25 | $12.6M | $505K | 1 | 704 |
| FY2018 | 29 | $13.0M | $450K | 0 | 793 |
| FY2017 | 26 | $15.1M | $580K | 0 | 643 |
| FY2016 | 11 | $6.1M | $552K | 0 | 161 |
SBA's franchise field lists the brand as "THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE"; "The Learning Experience". Codes SBA has used for the same brand name are added together.
Charge-off cohort rate
| Loans approved FY2010–FY2021 | The Learning Experience | All SBA loans |
|---|---|---|
| Approvals in these years | 209 | 725,496 |
| Cancelled or never disbursed | 20 | 91,827 |
| Disbursed loans | 189 | 633,669 |
| Paid in full | 127 | 471,304 |
| Charged off | 8 | 37,796 |
| Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure) | 54 | 124,569 |
| Charged off, share of disbursed loans | 4.2% | 6.0% |
| Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| Dollars charged off | $2.2M | $6.20bn |
Lenders
| # | Lender, FY2021–FY2025 | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Bank of the LakeOsage Beach, MO | 37 | $21.9M | 21.0% | |
| 2 | Byline BankChicago, IL | 11 | $5.4M | 6.3% | |
| 3 | Readycap Lending, LLCBerkeley Heights, NJ | 10 | $5.6M | 5.7% | |
| 4 | Provident BankJersey City, NJ | 9 | $7.8M | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Celtic Bank CorporationSalt Lake City, UT | 8 | $4.9M | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Bank of America, National AssociationCharlotte, NC | 6 | $3.5M | 3.4% | |
| 7 | TD Bank, National AssociationWilmington, DE | 6 | $3.5M | 3.4% | |
| 8 | United Community BankGreenville, SC | 6 | $3.1M | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Trenton Business Assistance CorporationPrinceton, NJ · CDC | 5 | $10.6M | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Customers BankMalvern, PA | 5 | $1.7M | 2.8% | |
| 11 | Happen BankLehi, UT | 4 | $1.9M | 2.3% | |
| 12 | The Huntington National BankColumbus, OH | 4 | $1.2M | 2.3% | |
| 13 | ChoiceOne BankSparta, MI | 3 | $5.2M | 1.7% | |
| 14 | Old National BankEvansville, IN | 3 | $5.1M | 1.7% | |
| 15 | Columbia BankFair Lawn, NJ | 3 | $1.6M | 1.7% |
States
| # | State of the business, FY2021–FY2025 | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 36 | 20.5% | |
| 2 | New York | 16 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Virginia | 13 | 7.4% | |
| 4 | New Jersey | 13 | 7.4% | |
| 5 | Florida | 12 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Connecticut | 11 | 6.3% | |
| 7 | California | 9 | 5.1% | |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 8 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Michigan | 7 | 4.0% | |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 6 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 12 | Colorado | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 13 | Indiana | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 14 | North Carolina | 4 | 2.3% | |
| 15 | Georgia | 4 | 2.3% |
Filed under
| # | Industry group | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Child Day Care ServicesNAICS 6244 | 164 | 93.2% | |
| 2 | Individual and Family ServicesNAICS 6241 | 6 | 3.4% | |
| 3 | Other Schools and InstructionNAICS 6116 | 3 | 1.7% | |
| 4 | Elementary and Secondary SchoolsNAICS 6111 | 2 | 1.1% | |
| 5 | Other Personal ServicesNAICS 8129 | 1 | 0.6% |
Approval sizes
- $50,000 or less2.8%5
- $50,001 to $150,0001.7%3
- $150,001 to $350,0008.0%14
- $350,001 to $1 million68.8%121
- $1 million to $2 million11.4%20
- Over $2 million7.4%13
Age of the businesses
- Existing, more than 2 years old18.2%32
- New business, 2 years or less14.8%26
- Startup, loan funds will open the business65.9%116
- Change of ownership1.1%2
Questions and answers
How many SBA loans go to The Learning Experience franchises?
377 approvals since FY2010, worth $282M; 176 in FY2021 to FY2025.
Which lenders make SBA loans for The Learning Experience franchises?
By approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: First Bank of the Lake (37), Byline Bank (11), Readycap Lending, LLC (10), Provident Bank (9), Celtic Bank Corporation (8).
How large is a typical SBA loan for a The Learning Experience franchise?
The average approval in FY2021 to FY2025 was $812K.
What share of The Learning Experience SBA loans are charged off?
Of 189 disbursed loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021, 8 (4.2%) are recorded as charged off; for all SBA loans from those years the figure is 6.0%.
Are SBA loans to The Learning Experience franchises rising?
Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 112, against 90 in the three before: rising (+24%).
About these figures
Figures are totals of the Small Business Administration's 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan files, data through 30 Jun 2026. SBA updates the files quarterly. Counts are loan approvals, including approvals later cancelled; the five-year window is FY2021–FY2025, the five latest complete fiscal years. Charge-off rates use only loans approved in FY2010–FY2021, at least five fiscal years ago, and count disbursed loans SBA records as charged off. Loans are listed under the lender they are assigned to today. Dollar figures behind fewer than three approvals are not shown, and no borrower is named anywhere on this site.Methodology · Report an error