The Academy for Academic Excellence (AAE) is a K-12 public charter school located in Apple Valley, California. The school was first chartered in 1997 by the Apple Valley Unified School District. The AAE is a direct-funded charter school operating as its own Local Educational Agency (LEA). The school currently operates one site, (Mojave River Campus) located on 150 acres (0.61 km2) adjoining the Mojave River. Former campuses included a K-1 site (Thunderbird Campus), and a 2-4 site (Corwin Campus). The current student population stands at over 1350 students. Although started as an independent study school, the Academy for Academic Excellence has become a full-time school that operates as most traditional schools do.