SBA 7(a) Charter School Feasibility Study in Florida

Florida schools: nearly double the national loan size, in a class that cannot isolate charters

Florida is third among states for loans in this school class, though the class sits 22 of 39 inside Florida. The cell holds 64 loans worth $82.5 million across FY2017 to FY2026. Our tests identified the median as distinct: at $899,000 the median is 1.92x of the national reading, and half the loans sit between $232,250 and $1.9 million. Franchise brands appear on 9.4% of loans. The big tickets reflect that school projects usually involve buildings, renovation and sometimes land, in a class where a classroom building is the main asset.

Coding and borrower limits

One industry code covers charter and private schools alike, so the two cannot be told apart. Because most charter schools operate as nonprofits and fall outside what SBA finances, a charter operator must confirm eligibility with a lender before relying on this record.

Holders, counties and years

SouthState Bank, National Association is the only holder with enough loans to name: 5 loans worth $4.0 million. The rest of the book is scattered across many institutions. The entry shows a current holder and nothing further. Miami-Dade County has 16 loans, Hillsborough 8, Broward 6, and Orange and Palm Beach 5 each. The yearly series was 7 loans and $10.1 million in FY2017, 12 loans and $12.8 million in FY2018, 6 loans and $12.8 million in FY2022, and 5 loans and $2.7 million in FY2025.

Floors

Cancellation claimed 9.4% or more of approvals through FY2024, with 9.4% again on the wider count. No charge-off appears among the 31 early funded loans (0.00% today and at five years), though a cohort that small with open loans gives only minimums.

A Florida school study has to show enrolment demand first: school-age children in the trade area, existing schools and their tuition, and any waiting lists. Tuition, class size and staffing ratios drive revenue and cost, and teacher pay and turnover belong in the base case. The loan finances a building or renovation, so the study should price construction, life-safety and zoning approvals, and set the debt service against enrolment at a realistic ramp, with a slower case. Where state scholarship programmes bring in tuition revenue, the study should identify that dependence. Hurricane exposure and insurance cost are real in Florida. The appraisal will value the property for school use and for alternative use, and the study should be consistent with both. No approval is implied.