A 13-year-old student from Long Island, New York, is set to begin a master’s degree at New York University in 2027.
Joe Petraro-Hyppolite scored 1,590 out of 1,600 on the SAT at age 10 and earned his high school diploma at age 11. He is currently completing an undergraduate degree, which he expects to finish in May 2027, and has studied at Louisiana State University alongside classmates many years older than him.
His reported IQ stands at 168. He plans to pursue his master’s in sports management, with kinesiology and biology listed among his other academic interests.
Petraro-Hyppolite told CBS News New York that his achievements do not come without effort. “It’s not like I was shot out the womb knowing everything I know. I have to learn it once or twice. Then I’ll know,” he said. He also said he feels both nervous and excited about starting the next phase of his education.
His mother, Anne Petraro-Hyppolite, said his progress carries added weight because he was once placed in special education classes after being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. “It’s just surreal. When he graduated high school so young, it was surreal, but this is… everything he does is surreal. He just loves to learn. He is like a sponge,” she said.
Outside his studies, Petraro-Hyppolite volunteers at a nursing home in the Five Towns area of Long Island. He has also said he hopes to become a paleontologist in the future.
