Sylvan Learning Climbs into Entrepreneur's Top 100 Franchise List

DALLAS, TX – January 13, 2026 – Sylvan Learning, a stalwart in K-12 supplemental education for 45 years, has achieved a new milestone by securing the No. 98 spot on Entrepreneur magazine's prestigious 2026 Franchise 500® list. This marks the first time the company has broken into the top 100, a significant accomplishment reflecting a pivotal year of strategic investments, technological advancement, and robust franchise growth.

The ranking serves as a powerful validation of the brand's recent initiatives, which have focused on modernizing its educational delivery and operational models to meet the evolving needs of students, families, and franchise owners in a competitive market.

A Calculated Climb in a Competitive Field

Appearing on the Franchise 500® is a notable achievement for any brand, but cracking the top 100 signals exceptional performance. The ranking is one of the most comprehensive in the industry, evaluating franchisors on more than 150 data points across five pillars: costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial stability. Sylvan's ascent is not a sudden leap but the result of a sustained upward trajectory. The company climbed from No. 174 in 2024 to No. 115 in 2025, with its new No. 98 position demonstrating accelerating momentum.

This climb is particularly impressive given the fierce competition within the supplemental education sector. The field is populated by global powerhouses and specialized providers. For context, tutoring giant Kumon has historically placed high, ranking No. 10 in 2024, while math-focused competitor Mathnasium Learning Centers sat just ahead of Sylvan's previous position at No. 97 in the 2025 list. Sylvan's entry into this elite tier underscores the effectiveness of its strategy to differentiate itself through a blend of personalized instruction and powerful technology.

The brand's performance in 2025 was also recognized by other industry authorities. It earned a spot on the Franchise Times Top 400, a ranking based on global systemwide sales, and was named one of Entrepreneur's Top 10 Children Franchises of 2025, reinforcing its status as a leader in the youth enrichment space.

The Engine of Growth: Technology and Innovation

A key driver behind Sylvan's recent success is its deep investment in technology, aimed at enhancing both the learning experience for students and the operational efficiency for franchisees. In 2025, the company completed a multi-year evolution of SylvanSync, its proprietary digital teaching platform. This upgrade enables more personalized, data-driven instruction, allowing educators to tailor lesson plans to each student's unique needs and pace. The platform's adaptive learning technology and proprietary assessments are central to creating the individualized learning paths that have become a hallmark of the Sylvan method.

Support for franchisees also received a major technological boost. Sylvan launched its first shared Command Center POS system, an enterprise-level platform developed within its parent company, Unleashed Brands. Set for a full rollout to all franchise locations in 2026, the system will provide owners with a single, integrated tool for managing daily operations, from scheduling to payments. More importantly, it offers clearer visibility into customer behavior and business trends, empowering franchisees with the data needed to identify growth opportunities and streamline their businesses. This commitment to strengthening franchisee support is a critical factor in the Franchise 500® evaluation.

Furthermore, the company is innovating its service delivery models. In 2025, it piloted Sylvan Pass, a flexible membership model designed to better accommodate the dynamic schedules and needs of modern families. With a broader rollout planned for 2026, this initiative signals a shift toward more accessible and consumer-friendly options, moving away from more rigid, traditional tutoring packages.

Fueling Expansion Through Strategic Franchising

The company's strategic initiatives translated directly into tangible growth in 2025. Sylvan opened 11 new learning centers and awarded 35 new franchise agreements, significantly expanding its footprint. This growth is targeted, with a focus on bringing personalized learning to more students in key markets such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Northern Virginia.

"Being recognized among the top 100 franchises in Entrepreneur's coveted ranking is exciting for Sylvan and a testament to all of the work we've done behind the scenes this past year," said Susan Valverde, Brand President of Sylvan Learning. "Over the past year, we made deliberate investments to strengthen our curriculum, modernize our operating model, and better support our franchise owners—while staying deeply focused on the families and students we serve. As we move into 2026, we are confident in our foundation and positioned for sustainable, long-term growth."

This expansion also includes innovative new formats. In 2025, the brand opened its first-ever co-branded centers, pairing Sylvan Learning with Class 101—a college planning franchise—in Flower Mound, Texas, and Leesburg, Virginia. This move exemplifies a broader strategy to create synergistic educational hubs for families.

The Unleashed Brands Synergy

Sylvan's success is also amplified by its position within Unleashed Brands, a growth-focused platform dedicated to curating a portfolio of the most innovative brands that help children learn, play, and grow. The platform includes other leaders in the youth enrichment space, such as Urban Air, The Little Gym, Snapology, and Premier Martial Arts.

Being part of this ecosystem provides significant advantages. The co-branding initiative with Class 101 is a direct result of this synergy, allowing a single location to serve students from K-12 academic support all the way through college admissions planning. This creates a one-stop-shop for parents and provides franchisees with multiple revenue streams. Moreover, resources like the Command Center POS system are developed at the platform level, giving individual brands like Sylvan access to enterprise-grade technology and operational best practices that might be difficult to develop alone.

This multi-brand strategy aligns with a growing market trend where families are increasingly seeking a variety of high-quality enrichment services for their children. By operating within the Unleashed Brands portfolio, Sylvan is well-positioned to meet this demand and benefit from cross-promotional opportunities and shared strategic insights, ensuring its continued relevance and leadership in the ever-expanding youth services industry.