Aug
19
Meet & Greet Teachers (all) & New Parents Tea
August 19, 2026
Excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.
We welcome elementary students from Pre-Kindergarten to fifth grade. The inspiring atmosphere at our school provides students with a well-rounded education and an insatiable love of learning. Academy of Academic Excellence, a unique elementary school located in Richmond, VA, is ready to embrace you!
Not All Elementary Schools Are Created Equal
Some schools teach subjects, we teach leaders.
At our independent school, excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude. We welcome elementary students from Pre-Kindergarten to fifth grade. The inspiring atmosphere at our school provides students with a well-rounded education and an insatiable love of learning.
Learn More About AAEMission & Vision
“Intelligence is not what you know but what you do when you don’t know.”
Mission
The Academy’s purpose is to create an effective and collaborative learning environment that includes a variety of programs customized to enhance each child’s talents, abilities, interests, potential, and refinement areas. To maintain teacher accountability in selecting objectives to differentiate for the appropriate level of difficulty, and to monitor and adjust while inspiring within each child a life-long love of learning.
Vision
The Academy of Academic Excellence believes that every child possesses distinct talents. Its climate is one that inspires creativity, encourages curiosity, supports thinking outside the box, exposes children to innovative ideas, teaches wise decision-making and problem-solving abilities, instills leadership skills and good citizenship, empowers students to express their points of view, and cultivates an insatiable love of learning.
The school fosters an environment that offers a tremendous wealth of learning strategies for Pre-Kindergarten to fifth graders. With a low student/teacher ratio, our school seeks to identify the learning style of each student and utilizes a variety of techniques such as Bloom’s Taxonomy, questioning, collaboration, and graphic organizers that strengthen high-level thinking skills and develop unique ways of looking at information.
The Academy of Academic Excellence embraces multicultural students from diverse backgrounds. The world is our classroom where academics, fine arts, foreign language, technology, physical education, and 21st century skills are expertly woven together by integrating talents of master artisans, students, faculty, families and our community.
From the Dean’s Desk
Reflections on Leadership, Learning, and the Children Who Made It All Worthwhile
Thirty years is a long time to hold onto a dream.
Businesses come and go. Many never make it beyond five years. Even among those that succeed, founders often step aside, allowing someone else to carry the vision forward.
In 1997, I founded the Academy of Academic Excellence, a private PreK through 5th grade school in Richmond, Virginia, with one simple belief: children deserve more than an education—they deserve to become confident thinkers, articulate communicators, compassionate citizens, and future leaders.
Rita T. Busch, Founder & Dean
Read Dean Rita’s Full MessageStudents’ Bill of Rights
- Not everyone needs to do the same work at the same time.
- Students will learn as much from each other as they will from the teacher.
- Students must take responsibility for their own learning.
- There are many paths to an answer.
- Often, there are many right answers.
- Mistakes can be valuable learning experiences.
- If it is easy, you are probably not learning very much.
Special thanks to Peabody school for intellectually advanced students in Charlottesville, Virginia.
At a Glance
- Pre-K through Fifth Grade
- Richmond, Virginia
- Founded in 1997
- Low Student/Teacher Ratio
- Differentiated Curriculum
- Multiage Grouping
- Daily Enrichment Classes
Programs
We balance our academics with an integration of Art, Music, Physical Education, Yoga, and Spanish to promote healthy social and emotional growth.
Faculty & Staff
Meet the Educators Behind the Excellence
Meet Our Faculty & Staff →
For more than 30 years, Academy of Academic Excellence has been built by passionate educators who know every child by name and believe every student deserves to be challenged, encouraged, and celebrated.
Free Parent Guide
10 Questions Every Parent Should Ask About Their Child's Learning
Choosing the right school begins with asking the right questions. This complimentary guide shares ten thoughtful questions you can discuss with your child's teachers to better understand learning styles, academic growth, problem-solving, confidence, collaboration, and individual strengths. It reflects the personalized approach Academy of Academic Excellence believes every child deserves.
Download Parent Guide
Admissions
Academy of Academic Excellence is one of the few private elementary schools in Richmond, VA that accepts full day Pre-K students and helps them grow in a nurturing and caring atmosphere.
- Schedule a Tour
- Submit an Application
- Student Assessment
Calendar of Events
Aug
25
K-5 First Day of School
August 25, 2026 · 2:30 Dismissal every day this week
Nov
19
AAE Student Thanksgiving Feast
November 19, 2026
Accreditation and professional affiliations: Academy of Academic Excellence is accredited by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) and is a member of the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE).
