Clayborne Education

What Clayborne Education does

Clayborne Education is a privately held test preparation and academic tutoring company founded around 2009 and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. The company delivers personalized, one-to-one tutoring for standardized college and graduate school admissions exams (SAT, ACT, CLT, GRE, LSAT, GMAT), Advanced Placement exams, and K–12 academic subjects (mathematics, sciences, languages, writing). It also offers Organizational Coaching for executive function and study skills, and free proctored practice tests as a lead-generation channel. The operating model follows a three-step process: a diagnostic assessment establishes baseline performance, a consultation identifies goals, and a customized program is built around the individual student's needs and learning style.

The underlying technology is described as an individualized learning management system tailored to each student's diagnostic results, learning style, and test goals, but the actual delivery is human-tutor-mediated rather than technology- or AI-driven. The company operates from three physical offices — Charlottesville, Richmond (Virginia), and Chicago (Illinois) — and supplements in-person sessions with online/virtual tutoring. There are no disclosed software products, APIs, mobile applications, or AI/ML capabilities; the platform dependency appears limited to a TutorBird login for scheduling.

Clayborne's business model is professional services revenue earned through hourly or package-based tutoring fees determined via consultation. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and consultative, beginning with a free diagnostic test, progressing to a program director consultation, and closing on enrollment. The company is founder-led, with founder Clay Daniel serving as LSAT Director and Lee Elberson as CEO since 2014, and it has not raised institutional funding. Customer segments are exclusively individual consumers (students and families) across five primary personas — college-bound high schoolers, graduate school applicants, MBA applicants, law school applicants, and K–12 academic students — with no enterprise or institutional accounts disclosed.

Name

Clayborne Education

Legal name

Clayborne Education

Website

https://clayborne.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clayborne Education is a privately held tutoring and test preparation company delivering personalized one-on-one programs for college and graduate school admissions exams (SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, GMAT, CLT), AP exams, and K–12 academics, serving individual students and families from offices in Virginia and Chicago plus online delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Test Preparation and Academic Tutoring Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12) (EDAJALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Literacy & Numeracy Intervention (Reading/Math Support) (EDAJALAD)

Keywords

• Test preparation services
• One-on-one tutoring
• Standardized test prep
• Academic tutoring
• College admissions tutoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Test Preparation Services: One-on-one tutoring services for standardized tests including SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, GMAT, and CLT. Revenue is generated through tutoring sessions with hourly or package-based pricing.
2. Academic Tutoring: Subject tutoring for K-12 students in mathematics, sciences, languages, writing, and test preparation for ASVAB and PRAXIS.
3. Organizational Coaching: Individualized coaching to build academic habits including organization, routine, time management, and study skills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Clayborne Education delivers personalized one-on-one tutoring and standardized test preparation for college-bound high school students, graduate school applicants, and law/business school candidates. Services follow a diagnostic-to-consultation-to-customized program process and cover the SAT, ACT, CLT, GRE, LSAT, GMAT, AP exams, ASVAB, and PRAXIS, alongside K-12 subject tutoring and organizational coaching.

Product overview

Clayborne Education is an educational services company offering a comprehensive suite of test preparation and academic tutoring programs. The core offerings include College Test Prep (SAT, ACT), Grad School Test Prep (GRE, LSAT, GMAT), and Academic Tutoring services. The company operates on a personalized, one-to-one tutoring model with programs tailored to individual student needs, incorporating diagnostic assessment, consultation, and customized study plans. Additional services include Organizational Coaching for building academic habits and Practice Tests for simulated exam conditions. The company has expanded to include Classical Learning Test (CLT) preparation as an alternative college admissions pathway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College Test Prep

Quantifiable outcome

• SAT average score increase of 150 points
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Princeton Review: The Princeton Review is one of the largest national test prep and tutoring brands, offering SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, and GMAT prep via in-person classes, online courses, and private tutoring. It competes directly with Clayborne in the standardized test prep space but at far greater scale and a broader mass-market positioning.
• Kaplan Test Prep: Kaplan is a major incumbent in standardized test preparation and admissions tutoring with courses for SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT. Comparable to Clayborne in offering one-to-one tutoring alongside prep courses, though Kaplan operates at significantly larger scale and a more mass-market price point.

Direct peers

• Manhattan Prep: Manhattan Prep is a premium test prep provider specializing in GMAT, GRE, LSAT, and SAT prep with a reputation for high-quality instructors and strong score-improvement outcomes. Directly comparable to Clayborne's positioning in the grad-school and college admissions prep market, with similar premium-pricing and outcome-driven branding.
• Varsity Tutors: Varsity Tutors is a large online and in-person tutoring platform offering one-to-one academic tutoring, test prep (SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, GMAT), and subject-specific instruction. Comparable to Clayborne in subject tutoring and test prep offerings, though delivered predominantly through a tech-enabled platform at broader scale.
• Revolution Prep: Revolution Prep is a premium test prep and academic tutoring company offering personalized SAT, ACT, AP, and subject tutoring with a focus on measurable score improvements. Closely comparable to Clayborne's model of customized one-to-one tutoring with documented outcomes, operating in overlapping student segments.
• Wyzant: Wyzant is an online marketplace connecting students with private tutors across academic subjects and standardized tests including SAT, ACT, GRE, and LSAT. Comparable to Clayborne in one-to-one tutoring delivery model and subject/test coverage, though operates as an open marketplace rather than a curated in-house tutor team.

Emerging players

• PrepScholar: PrepScholar is an online test prep platform offering self-paced SAT, ACT, and GRE prep programs with adaptive algorithms. Comparable to Clayborne's SAT/ACT prep offering but delivered as a tech-driven, lower-cost alternative rather than personalized one-to-one tutoring.
• Magoosh: Magoosh is an online test prep company offering affordable GRE, GMAT, SAT, ACT, MCAT, and LSAT prep through video lessons and practice questions. Relevant as a competing test prep provider in Clayborne's grad-school and college prep verticals, positioned at a significantly lower price point and digital-first delivery.
• ArborBridge: ArborBridge is an online test prep company offering personalized SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, and LSAT tutoring with adaptive technology and dedicated tutors. Directly comparable to Clayborne in premium one-to-one online tutoring delivery across the same standardized test categories, with overlapping target customer of college and grad school applicants.
• Tutor.com: Tutor.com is an online on-demand tutoring platform covering academic subjects, test prep, and professional skills, serving consumers and institutional clients. Comparable to Clayborne's online tutoring channel and subject tutoring offering, though delivered via on-demand drop-in sessions rather than long-term customized programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ClayborneEdu
• Xx.com/ClayborneEdu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clayborne Education