About Shelby Joe

Shelby Joe (周) is General Academic's Founder. A Mississippi native, Shelby graduated from Rice University with a BA in Political Science in 2007, where he still mentors students. He has lived in both China and Germany; he speaks Chinese Mandarin and German. He is also the Founder of the edtech company Piqosity.

Rice Village Weather – Live

These are the current weather conditions at General Academic, located just north of Houston's Rice Village at 2427 Bartlett St., Houston, TX 77098. The hyperlocal data is collected by our Tempest Weather Station, which is mounted about 10 feet above the ground on our pergola and updates every 5 minutes. [...]

2026-02-11T15:46:04-06:00February 11th, 2026|Lifestyle|

Houston’s Richest Public Schools, Best Home Values, and Most Gentrified Neighborhoods

The best Houston public schools are often in the most expensive neighborhoods, and the average cost to buy into those areas like central Houston's West University is now north of $1.7 million. However, there are great schools in more affordable areas too, particularly neighborhoods receiving significant private investment. For [...]

, 2026-02-05T15:36:59-06:00February 2nd, 2026|Favorites, Schools|

Houston ISD’s Best Elementary and Middle Schools by STAAR Scores 2025

T.H. Rogers continues its reign as Houston Independent School District (HISD)'s best elementary and middle school by Texas STAAR test scores. Other top elementary schools include West University, Mandarin Immersion Magnet School (MIMS), Roberts, and River Oaks Elementary.  MIMS is the district's #3 elementary and #2 middle school. Other top [...]

, 2025-12-23T16:24:52-06:00September 29th, 2025|Elementary Learning, Schools|

The Best Cooling Neck Fans to Beat the Heat

Only commercialized within the last few years, thermoelectrically-cooled neck fans promise to keep you comfortable indoors and outdoors. They look like a pair of nice headphones draped around the neck and work like a combination of a cold towel and misting fan. While our thorough testing during a Houston [...]

2025-06-26T09:55:15-05:00June 26th, 2025|Lifestyle|

Top Houston High Schools by SAT Score 2024

Houston's top high schools by SAT test scores are Carnegie Vanguard, DeBakey, and Kinder HSPVA. Carnegie is also the Houston-area's top public school by National Merit Semifinalists, students who scored in the top 1% on the PSAT. Among Houston's big suburban high schools, Memorial (Spring Branch), Tompkins (Katy), and [...]

, 2025-12-10T20:31:28-06:00April 18th, 2024|Schools|

Top Houston ISD (HISD) Magnet Schools of 2021

Analysis of Houston School Choice Lottery for 2021-2022 The most popular Houston ISD (HISD) magnet schools for 2021-2022 remain River Oaks Elementary School, Pin Oak Middle School, and Carnegie Vanguard High School. Families had relatively good chances of winning the lottery for admission to a desirable HISD magnet school for [...]

2021-09-29T13:16:11-05:00September 29th, 2021|Schools|
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