9-year-old who took remote classes graduates from high school

David Balogun is currently earning college credits at Bucks County Community College with goals of becoming an astrophysicist, someone who specializes in researching space, stars, planets and the universe.

A nine-year-old Pennsylvania boy who took remote courses is now among the nation’s youngest high school graduates.

David Balogun graduated from the Harrisburg-based Reach Cyber Charter School after attending lessons online from his home in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem. He is already gathering higher education credits at Bucks County Community College and knows what field he wants to pursue in his professional career, according to The Guardian.

“I want to be an astrophysicist,” Balogun said, according to The Guardian, “and I want to study black holes and supernovas.”

David Balogun -- youngest high school graduate
David Balogun, 9, has become one of the youngest ever high school graduates after taking remote courses based out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube.com/FOX43 News)

The young computer and science whiz credited some of his favorite instructors with keeping him motivated to continue learning and pushing him to advance.

“David was an inspirational kid,” said his science teacher, Cody Derr, The Guardian reported, “definitely one who changes the way you think about teaching.”

Michael Kearney set the Guinness World Record for the youngest high school graduate when he was just 6 years old in 1990, making him the only person younger than Balogun. Kearney went on to earn master’s degrees at ages 14 and 18 and amassed a fortune from game shows.

Balogun — who’s a member of Mensa, the organization for people with high IQs — has completed one semester at the area community college. He and his parents are researching several colleges and universities to see which would be the best fit for a child who, in addition to his studies, plays the piano and is pursuing a martial arts black belt.

Even though his mother, Ronya, and his father, Henry, have advanced degrees, they acknowledged that nurturing a child with such a remarkable intellect could be challenging.

“I had to get outside of the box,” said Ronya, according to The Guardian. “Playing pillow fights when you’re not supposed to, throwing the balls in the house. He’s a nine-year-old with the brain that has the capacity to understand and comprehend a lot of concepts beyond his years and sometimes beyond my understanding.”

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