How much does a Sylvan Learning Centers franchise cost?
Opening a Sylvan Learning Centers franchise takes a total initial investment of $117,600 to $288,400, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports top quartile gross sales of $588,669 across 102 outlets.
Sylvan Learning franchises Sylvan Learning Centers. Category: Education.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Sylvan Learning Centers franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $117,600 to $288,400. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Real Estate Improvements and Site Preparation ($15,000 to $118,010), Additional Funds – Three Months ($9,500 to $35,000), and Grand Opening Marketing ($10,000 to $15,000). Together they make up about 58% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $46,900, about 40% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $46,900 | $46,900 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Training-related expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $1,400 | $2,400 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| First month’s rent and security deposit2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $1,500 | $5,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Real Estate Improvements and Site Preparation2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $15,000 | $118,010 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Development Project Management Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $6,000 | $6,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Initial Inventory and Instructional Materials2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $2,750 | $4,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Specialized Furnishings2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $6,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Other Furniture and Miscellaneous Supplies2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $3,400 | $4,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Signage (interior and exterior)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $2,000 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Grand Opening Marketing2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $10,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Insurance Deposit and Premium2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $2,000 | $2,700 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Computers and other Hardware, Telephone, Internet Access & Software2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $7,500 | $13,930 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Miscellaneous Supplies2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $15 | $150 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Accounting Software2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $135 | $600 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Optional: Sylvan Edge and/ | $0 | $3,210 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Legal, Accounting and other Professional Fees2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $3,500 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Additional Funds – Three Months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $9,500 | $35,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18-19 | $117,600 | $288,400 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18-19 |
Source Sylvan Learning Centers, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18-19, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 19
What Sylvan Learning Centers franchisees actually report earning
Top Quartile Gross Sales
$588,669
Sylvan Learning Centers' 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the 12 calendar months of 2025. Basis: United States franchised territories that operated continuously throughout the 12 calendar months of 2025 pursuant to a Sylvan Learning Franchise Agreement.
Sample size: 102 outlets. The FDD also reports top quartile gross sales of $795,074. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- 12 Centers were excluded because they did not operate the entire fiscal year 2025.
- 12 Centers provided incomplete data.
- This Item 19 does not include Gross Sales from any territories that closed or opened during 2025, and therefore were not open for the full 12 months of 2025.
- The financial performance of company-owned territories is not included.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Sylvan Learning Centers outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Sylvan Learning Centers, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 61-64, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 20
How many Sylvan Learning Centers outlets there are, and how many closed
Sylvan Learning Centers ended 2025 with 433 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets. In that year 12 franchised outlets opened and 55 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Sylvan Learning Centers opened 54 franchised outlets and 90 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 36, from 469 to 433 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 10 were terminated and 80 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 6.3% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 16.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 476 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 433 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 73 |
| 2024 | 473 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 476 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 73 |
| 2023 | 469 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 473 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 73 |
Source Sylvan Learning Centers, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 73, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Compare
How Sylvan Learning Centers compares with other Education franchises
Measured against the 56 Education franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Sylvan Learning Centers' estimated range is $203,000. It costs less to open than 51% of Education franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 6.3% for Sylvan Learning Centers. That is higher than 57% of the 36 Education franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Sylvan Learning Centers' franchised system shrank 7.7%. The typical Education franchise here grew 9.1%.
- Earnings disclosure. 37 of the 56 Education franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Sylvan Learning Centers is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Education franchise side by side.
Alert me when Sylvan Learning Centers files a new FDD
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