Zuckerberg began his education at Ardsley High School but later transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy, a private preparatory school in New Hampshire, where he excelled academically. He also attended summer programs at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Displaying an early aptitude for languages and technology, Zuckerberg noted on his college application that he could read and write French, Hebrew, Latin, and ancient Greek. During his time at Exeter, he also captained the fencing team.

His interest in computer programming emerged during middle school. Recognizing his talent, his parents arranged for him to receive private tutoring from software developer David Newman. Zuckerberg began building computer programs at a young age and quickly gained a reputation for his programming skills.

Harvard and the Founding of Facebook

In 2002, Zuckerberg enrolled at Harvard University, where he studied psychology and computer science. While at Harvard, he built several software projects, including CourseMatch and Facemash, which gained attention on campus. These early undertakings laid the groundwork for what would become Facebook.

On February 4, 2004, Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook alongside his college roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. Originally intended as a social networking site for Harvard students, the platform rapidly expanded to other Ivy League universities and eventually to colleges and universities across the United States. It soon opened to the general public, marking the beginning of its global impact. Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard in 2005 to focus on the company full-time.