Faculty & Staff
We are a small school, and our teachers know every child by name.
Meet the educators behind the excellence
For nearly 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.
Because our classes are small by design, our teachers have the time to identify each student’s learning style and meet them at their appropriate level of difficulty.
Rita T. Busch
Rita Busch founded the Academy of Academic Excellence in 1997. The school serves elementary students of varying abilities and cultural backgrounds, with a customized curriculum that offers a challenging atmosphere for academically advanced children and support for those in need of academic strengthening.
For thirty years, she has led AAE with one simple belief: children deserve more than an education—they deserve to become confident thinkers, articulate communicators, compassionate citizens, and future leaders.
Read Dean Rita’s LetterOur Teaching Approach
- Multiage grouping
- A customized, differentiated curriculum
- Daily enrichment classes
- Wise decision-making
- Critical and creative thinking strategies
- Lessons delivered through oral, visual, and hands-on experiences
- Supported by master artisans, families, and our community
Come meet our teachers in person
Individual faculty profiles are being updated. The best way to get to know our team is to visit — schedule a private tour to meet our teachers and see our classrooms in action.
Keep exploring AAE
Ready to see the AAE difference?
We’d love to welcome your family to our campus in Richmond, Virginia. Meet our teachers, see our classrooms, and discover why families choose AAE.
A Pre-Kindergarten through fifth-grade independent school in Richmond, Virginia, where excellence is not a skill — it’s an attitude.