HUNTINGTON LEARNING CENTER REACHES 400^th CENTER MILESTONE

(Oradell, NJ) Less than three months after announcing the opening of its 300^th center, Huntington Learning Center® has reached a major milestone with the awarding of its 400^th center.  Huntington now has 316 franchised learning centers, 34 centers that are company-owned, and 50 additional franchise centers that will open between now and 2008.  The 400^th Huntington Learning Center® will be opening in Las Vegas, Nevada in March 2008, by Todd and Vicky Sain.  This will be the Sain’s second location in Las Vegas and the 7^th Huntington Learning Center Franchise in 3 states that they have been awarded during their 12 years as Huntington Learning Center ® franchisees.

Founded in 1977 by Dr. Raymond J. and Eileen Huntington, Huntington Learning Center® provides instruction in reading, writing, spelling, phonics, mathematics and study skills, as well as SAT/ACT preparation to tens of thousands of students in kindergarten through 12^th grade.  Huntington prides itself on unparalleled programs that help parents and educators identify the gaps in skills and knowledge that can limit learning potential, and in providing a personalized program of instruction to enable children to excel in school or to get into their college of choice. 

“The past several years have been marked by a steady expansion as more and more families see the benefits of personalized instruction for their children, yet this is a real growth spurt that speaks volumes about the importance of educational achievement and the future of the industry,” said Dr. Huntington.  “Every day, Huntington educators are enabling students to tap their full potential for academic success and making a major difference in their lives.”

With the founding of the first Huntington Learning Center 30 years ago, the Huntingtons acted on their belief that personalized, one-on-one instruction could enable students who were falling behind in school to catch up academically while building the confidence needed for increasingly challenging schoolwork.  They began with one center in a suburban New Jersey community, and ended up founding the tutoring industry as it exists today.  The industry is now booming.  Since 1988, the field as a whole has expanded at a compounded annual rate of nearly 12 percent, and is expected to reach a value of nearly $4 billion in 2007. 

While the growth of the tutoring field has been fueled largely by the desire of entrepreneurial business professionals to create a stable, community-based service business, it has also been driven by the rising number of parents and families seeking tutoring for students facing difficulties in meeting increasingly rigorous academic standards, particularly with the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Education Act of 2001 (NCLB).  Since the enactment of this federal program, Huntington has grown to be a leading National provider of Supplemental Educational Services under NCLB through it’s network of centers in 41 states. 

The need for supplemental education services is driven further by the rising number of students enrolled in K-12 public and private schools.  According to the U.S. Department of Education, enrollment in elementary and secondary schools rose 20 percent, to more than 55 million students, between 1990 and 2007.  The pool of school-age children is expected to continue rising slightly to reach 56.6 million students in 2014. 

Entrepreneurs have also been encouraged by independent third party evaluations of Huntington’s particular attributes in the industry.  In July, Hispanic Enterprise magazine named Huntington Learning Center one of the nation’s Top 25 Franchises for Hispanics in the U.S.  In April, Huntington was honored with FranNet’s #1 Partner of the year Award.  And in February Huntington Learning Center co-founder Eileen Huntington was named as one of New Jersey’s Best 50 Women in Business.

Huntington Learning Center was selected for inclusion in Bond’s Top 100 Franchises in 2006 and 2007.  Also, Huntington was names by The Wall Street Journal’s StartUpJournal.com as one of the top 25 high-performing Franchisor.  As the only supplemental education services organization included on the list, Huntington Learning Center® was lauded for criteria that include well-experienced leadership, strong financial health and a proven record of franchising success. 

 For more information on Huntington Learning Centers, please call Russell Miller Vice President, Business Development at 1-800-653-8400 or email millerr@huntingtonlearningcenter.com  You may also visit our website, www.huntingtonfranchise.com.