Sylvan Learning Rides Wave of Success and Plans to Open 40 New Locations in 2020

Sylvan Learning is in a league of its own—no other supplemental and enrichment education brand can boast the success enjoyed by the brand, whose proven model and 40-year-rich brand awareness has resulted in more than 750 points of presence. These differentiators, among many others, have allowed Sylvan Learning to make a name for itself as a legacy brand in the supplemental education space. Now, after another successful year, the brand is gearing up for explosive growth.

“2019 was a banner year for Sylvan Learning’s franchise development,” said Georgia Chasen, Vice President of Franchise Development. “Last year, Sylvan Learning brought on 52 new franchisees and opened 24 centers, in both domestic and international markets. Over the last four years, we’ve attracted more than 200 new franchisees to the Sylvan Learning system and we are confident that the trend will continue in 2020.”

According to Chasen, a new generation of entrepreneurs is choosing Sylvan Learning over the competition because of the brand’s industry-leading support infrastructure, passionate network of franchisees and expert leadership team. “Both our franchisees and corporate owners are mission-driven and do everything they can to drive success for the number one priority: the students,” said Chasen.

Sylvan Learning has been paving the way for student success thanks to industry-leading technology like the personalized learning platform SylvanSync™****, proven ACT/SAT test prep curricula, in-demand STEM courses and more. That said, it’s not only a brand’s offering or model that drives success—it’s the people. With an incredible network of franchisees, the Sylvan Learning team positions their owners for continued success as part of the growing family, including an opportunity as rewarding financially as it is emotionally.

New investments and plans

“This year, we’ve made several internal investments to create a stronger franchise opportunity,” said CEO John McAuliffe. “This includes developing a new scheduling and admin system to create easier operations, as well as migrating internal technology to the cloud to create more reliable platforms. We’ve also invested in an in-home tutoring program and hope to roll that out system-wide next year. Through these innovations, we’ve stabilized the system and are excited for franchisees to reap the benefits of these internal investments in 2020.”

Looking to the future, McAuliffe explains that the brand is hoping to increase its points of presence by 40 in 2020. “In addition to internal innovation, we’ve invested heavily in franchise development and marketing by creating a strong team to find qualified candidates,” said McAuliffe. “Since our system is over 40 years old, we naturally had a large number of seasoned owners interested in retiring and exiting the system. This led to a significant number of resale locations, but now we are seeing a growing interest in purchasing new territories.”

Franchise development focus

“For 2020, Sylvan Learning’s franchise development will focus on both established markets and candidate outreach in communities we know will benefit from a Sylvan Learning center,” said Chasen. “We have open territories all over the country and internationally and encourage candidates to reach out from any state. A few markets we’ve pinpointed as prime for expansion include Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and Northern California.”

After this unprecedented year of expansion, it is clear that 2020 is an exciting time to join the Sylvan Learning franchise family. “With our significant investment in back-of-house infrastructure, operational efficiency, curriculum innovation and franchisee support, the Sylvan Learning brand and team is positioned for 40 more years of success.”

**With more than 40 years of experience and more than 750 points of presence throughout North America, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvan’s proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync™ technology on the iPad® for an engaging learning experience.

Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGE—STEM and accelerated courses and Sylvan Prep —college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey. For more information, visit www.