Corporate Profile
General Academic is a research and analysis-driven academic consulting firm that seeks to enable our students and employees to realize their aspirations.
Our leadership in academic publishing enables us to offer unparalleled tutoring, test prep, enrichment, and consulting services.
Our consumer services include K12 tutoring, test preparation, enrichment, and college counseling. Our institutional services include college counseling and test prep programs plus school market analysis and corporate relocation consulting.
Our publications include The Houston School Survey, more than 70 full-length practice tests for the ISEE, ACT, and SAT, and digital learning lessons in math and English.
Born out of a Rice University dorm room in 2003, General Academic is headquartered in Houston. Our team currently includes approximately 40 brilliant, professional, and charismatic tutors, instructors, writers, editors, and managers.
Our goal is to be the undisputed knowledge leader and trusted services provider in the markets in which we compete while offering quality, personalized services at competitive rates.
Our small size and local ownership enable us to more closely tailor our services to our clients’ needs. Simultaneously, our strong management and corporate identity ensure that students receive a top quality and well-supported product.
We believe that education is fundamental in creating more opportunities and a better society, and we continually strive to make our expertise and services available to more people across the globe.
Company History
General Academic’s history is one of young adulthood and the continual pursuit of the next adventure in the name of making the world a better place.
Born and raised in Mississippi, Shelby Joe incorporates General Academic in Jackson, Mississippi on August 11, 2003, just a few weeks before matriculating at Rice University.
On May 12, 2007, Shelby graduates from Rice University with a BA in Political Science and joins a management consulting firm. Aerin Williams, a Rice undergraduate, assumes management of day to day operations.
In 2009, the Great Recession is at its worst yet Shelby joins with Stephen Hayes to open the company’s first physical location at the corner of University and Morningside in the heart of the Rice Village.
By 2013, General Academic has outgrown its original location and moves one mile north to its current site at 2427 Bartlett St. The new office is the hip, loft-style Shelby has always wanted and offers more than 4,500 ft² of learning space.
General Academic commits to significant investment in publications in 2015. It takes its marquee book on Houston schools online and prints the most comprehensive prep book on the ISEE, “ISEE Upper Level Prep Guide with 6 Full-Length Practice Tests.”
Today, General Academic is an integrated tutoring, consulting, and publishing powerhouse. The Company’s publications include the Houston School Survey, more than 30 full-length practice tests for the ISEE, SAT, and ACT, and a partnership with Piqosity.com to publish digital learning content.
Our Latest News and Analysis
Houston’s National Merit Semifinalists for 2022-2023
Houston's Smartest Seniors Brush Aside Pandemic to Ace the PSAT The 2023 National Merit Scholarship Competition was a rebound [...]
ISEE Test Dates in Houston for 2022-2023
Students may take the ISEE up to three times (once in each defined period) in order to secure their [...]
General Academic Students Ace the ISEE Private School Admissions Test
During the 2021-2022 fall testing cycle, nearly 300 Houston-area students prepared for their ISEE and SSAT private school admissions tests [...]
Our COVID-19 Offerings and Precautions
We are operating all services "as normal" while taking every precaution in the face of the continuing pandemic threat. We [...]