Learning Express
The total investment to open a Learning Express franchise ranges from $25,375 to $387,514. The initial franchise fee is $40,000. Ongoing royalties are 5% plus a 1% advertising fee.
What is the Learning Express franchise?
Learning Express sells toys and hobby supplies to shoppers. The estimated total initial investment is $25,375 to $387,514, and the initial franchise fee is $40,000, according to the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document.
The royalty is 5 percent of sales, and the advertising or brand fund fee is 1 percent. The franchise agreement term is 10 years, and initial training lasts 42 days.
Learning Express is headquartered in MILTON, GA. The brand was founded in 1987 and began franchising in 1990.
Loan Activity Score
45/100
SBA Default Rate
17.4%
Active Lenders
37
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, Learning Express has 86 locations, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 37 lenders made 92 loans to franchisees of Learning Express. PeerSense calculates Learning Express's score as 45 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity. Cost figures are based on the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document.
Franchising since 1987 · 86 locations
$25,375 to $387,514
$40,000
86
86 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
FairDistinct lenders in public SBA records for Learning Express
92
Total SBA loans
$194K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for Learning Express
Loan Activity Score Breakdown
Established (25 to 99 loans)
Are lenders increasingly or decreasingly funding this brand? Growing trends score highest.
Blended default rate (recent + all time) compared to NAICS sector peers.
Quality lenders actively backing this brand, with penalty for lender pullback.
FDD availability, Item 19 disclosure, and overall data completeness.
Geographic spread of SBA funded locations across states.
SBA Lending Performance
SBA Default Rate
17.4%
vs 3.2% peer avg
SBA Loans
92
Total Volume
$17.8M
Active Lenders
37
5 selective
States
29
vs. SBA Sector Average
SBA loan default rate vs. all franchises in the same NAICS sector, not limited to direct competitors
Key Highlights
Franchise Financing Resources
Data Insights
Key performance metrics for Learning Express based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
17.4%
14.2% above peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
92 loans
Across 37 lenders
Lender Diversity
37 lenders
Avg 2.5 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Mid range investment
$25,375 to $387,514 total
Learning Express: Deep SBA Data
Brand specific metrics derived directly from SBA 7(a) approval records: peak lending year, leading state, average loan size, and lender concentration. PeerSense computes these per brand so capital advisors and prospective franchisees can benchmark this opportunity against the rest of the franchise universe.
Peak SBA Year
1997
16 approvals. The best year on record for Learning Express.
Top SBA State
Texas
11 SBA financed Learning Express locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$194K
Median $186K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own Learning Express unit.
Lender Concentration
44.6%
Concentrated
Share of Learning Express approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
Learning Express's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 1997 (16 approvals). The last five fiscal years account for 8% of cumulative volume ($3.3M approved). Operator density is highest in Texas with 11 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $194K, with the median at $186K. Lender mix is concentrated: the top three SBA lenders account for 44.6% of approvals. Credit decisions concentrate with a small group of incumbents.
Payment Estimator
Estimated Monthly Payment
$263
Principal & Interest only
Indicative only, as of October 1, 2026. Not a quote, commitment or offer of credit. Final pricing, leverage and terms are determined by the lender at underwriting, after full transaction materials are reviewed. PeerSense sources the file. The lender sets pricing. What these terms mean.
Locations
Learning Express, unit breakdown
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Page Review
Reviewed by Edward L. Freeman, Founder and Managing Director, PeerSense
- PeerSense is a capital advisory firm that places commercial financing with direct capital sources; it does not lend, fund, or approve loans, and the capital source sets final terms.
- Edward L. Freeman founded PeerSense in January 2020.
- He is a Registered Franchise Consultant with Business Alliance, Inc., a credential issued in March 2022, and worked as a franchise consultant there from March 2022 to May 2023.
- His recorded experience includes a $22 million SBA construction loan, with about $16 million funded on the deal.
- In the 12 months through September 30, 2026, PeerSense tracked 912 publicly announced financings with a disclosed size of $361.32 billion. PeerSense Capital Data Report · Methodology page
Last reviewed LinkedIn profileAbout Edward Freeman