Gifted 9-Year-Old Pennsylvanian Kid Finishes High School With Online Classes

Think you could finish high school at nine years old? Apparently, someone can.

Nine-year-old David Balogun recently received his high school diploma after finishing more than a handful of online classes in his home in Bensalem, Philadelphia.

The boy had recently finished community college and is now looking for colleges and universities to nurture his love of everything science and computer programming further.

David Balogun High School Graduation Details

Balogun recently received a diploma from Reach cyber charter school after taking classes remotely from his home in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, per WGAL's report on Feb. 5.

Balogun first started his education in early 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns shuttered the country, per Insider. Ronya, his mother, mentioned she and her husband tested Balogun for giftedness in the first grade, who had already passed second-grade level Math and English.

Eventually, Ronya realized that Balogun was gifted, pushing her son to take more advanced classes until he finished high school two years later.

Raising a gifted nine-year-old was a challenge for Ronya and her husband, Henry. According to her interview with WGAL, she stated that she had to get outside the box to raise her son, who has a brain that can "understand and comprehend [many] concepts beyond his years and sometimes beyond my understanding."

Balogun can attest to his parents' efforts, with him saying that they didn't bog him down; instead, they advocated for and encouraged him to go even higher.

Looking at Balogun's parents, though, there is little to doubt about Balogun's capabilities - his parents both have advanced degrees.

The nine-year-old genius is a bone fide member of the exclusive high-IQ society Mensa, whose ranks include Pulizer-winning journalist Ronan Farrow, who finished high school at 11 years old and college at 15, and Michael Kearney, who graduated from college at a mere ten years old, per The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, respectively.

Balogun's achievement beat Farrow's achievement of finishing high school at a young age, while Kearney still holds the Guinness world record for youngest high school graduate, per The Guardian.

What Is Balogun Doing Now?

Balogun had already finished a semester at Bucks County Community College, accumulating credits towards his college degree in the process. Currently, he and his family are looking at colleges and universities to find the right fit for him.

Which university he will enter is still up for debate in the household, however, Balogun is still at an age that requires some accommodation to make his college experience comfortable.

"We're still kind of grappling with all these things, if that makes any sense, to figure out what is the right fit. Again, he's 9 years old, I'm not dropping my kid off," Ronya told Insider. "It's going to take a lot."

When asked what he would like to be once he finishes his education, he said he wants to be an astrophysicist and study black holes and supernovas.

Interesting Engineering notes he enjoys science and computer programming. Meanwhile, he also finds joy in playing sports and the piano along with a black belt in martial arts.