In the fall, 12-year-old Suborno Isaac Bari, a recent high school graduate, plans to study math and physics at New York University (NYU). Still, he’s already set his ambitious sights on beginning a doctoral programme.
“I hope to graduate college at 14 in spring 2026,” said Suborno, who recently became the youngest graduate from his Long Island high school.
“If I ever decide to do a second PhD, it will be in physics, but mainly I want to focus on math,” he told CNN.
The gifted tween, who memorised the periodic table at age two and has taught lectures at colleges in India since he was 7, graduated on Wednesday from Malverne High School in Nassau County, New York.
CNN affiliate WABC-TV reported that Suborno, who says he skipped to 12th grade after completing ninth-grade studies, became the youngest-ever student to graduate from high school.
Suborno’s high school uses a 100-point GPA scale rather than a 4.0 scale. He shared that he earned around a 96 GPA for his first year of high school and a 98 for his second and final year.
Once he began the 12th grade, Suborno took non-degree classes at several universities around New York, including NYU, Stony Brook University, the City University of New York, and Brooklyn College.
“That was a whole new challenge for me,” he shared. “You’ve got much more homework, much longer classes, many more new subjects and material, and it’s all condensed into a far shorter time than in school.”
The bright young student, whose family says he’s also skilled in painting, debate, and piano playing, could also make history at NYU when he begins pursuing his bachelor of science degree.
A university spokesperson informed the Bari family, “Without NYU undertaking a complete review of its records, NYU is unaware of anyone younger than Suborno being admitted,” according to a copy of an email shared with CNN.
Suborno was introduced to education early on by his parents, Rashidul and Shaheda Bari. His father, Rashidul, teaches physics at Brooklyn Technical High School, and his mother, Shaheda, is an elementary school teacher.
According to Rashidul Bari, they noticed their youngest son was exceptionally bright in 2014 as they taught him basic math.
“My wife was actually his teacher at the time. One day … she was teaching him one plus one, and he would respond, ‘Mom, one plus one is two,’” Rashidul Bari said. “And then Mom would go, ‘Then what is one plus two?’ And then he’d say ‘three,’ and then he’d be questioning Mom, ‘if one plus one is two, can you please tell me, what is n plus n?’”
Her husband says the questions surprised Shaheda Bari. Rashidul Bari says he initially did not pay attention because his eldest son, Refath Bari, 21, who attends Brown University, was also smart.
“So I told my wife, ‘OK, nothing is surprising here, he probably did it to capture attention,’” Rashidul Bari said. “But it kept happening. He started abstracting every math concept.”
Suborno’s dad, a math student at the time, shared the fascinating discovery with one of his professors.
In 2016, then-President Obama sent Suborno a letter praising the bright student for his hard work and accomplishments. The family shared a copy of the letter with CNN.
When he was 7 in 2020, Suborno began receiving invitations from colleges in India to teach, which, his dad says, he does three times a year.
“My professor said, ‘no way, a 2-year-old cannot do that abstraction. You should pay serious attention,’” Rashidul Bari said.
His dad said that Suborno continued attracting attention, eventually inviting him to take college-level courses.
“That gives him lots of chances to have conversations with different levels of expertise, students, faculties, college presidents, so many people,” Rashidul Bari said.
The family says Mensa told them he must wait until he’s 14 years old—around the time Suborno says he plans to graduate from NYU—to have his IQ tested.
Suborno plans to continue his family’s teaching trend by becoming a math and physics professor one day.
“It’s insane,” he said about starting at NYU in the fall. “I can’t wait for all the opportunities I’ll have; I’ll be able to meet people who are interested … fully in math and science, and people who are also majoring in math and physics and want to discover these mysteries behind the universe.”
