He attended Edison Elementary School in Burbank, CA, where he skipped third grade. He then attended Maimonides Hebrew Academy from fifth to sixth grade, at which point he moved to Walter Reed Junior High School IHP Program for the remainder of junior high. He attended YULA high school in Los Angeles, but graduated early after skipping freshman year. Shapiro enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) at the age of 16, majoring in political science, and graduating summa cum laude at age 20.

Shapiro received his Juris Doctor (J.D.), cum laude, from Harvard Law School in June 2007. As a second year law student, he had a summer clerkship with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He formerly practiced law at the Los Angeles office of Goodwin Procter LLP. He now does independent legal consulting for major media clients.

Shapiro was hired by Creators Syndicate at age 17 to become the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the U.S.He has written for the Orlando Sentinel, the Conservative Chronicle, and Townhall.com. He has written a book on his experiences in college, titled Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth (ISBN 0-7852-6148-6), which was published in 2004. His next book, Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future (ISBN 0-89526-016-6), was published by Regnery in June 2005. His newest book, Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House (ISBN 1-5955-5100-X), was published in 2008. He is also a staunch critic of judicial activism, supporting judges whom he believes interpret the United States Constitution according to its original meaning.

Shapiro guest hosts regularly for major talk show hosts including nationally syndicated hosts Jerry Doyle and Rusty Humphries. He also hosts "The Ben Shapiro Show" in Orlando, FL on The Big 810 AM.

Shapiro has taken conservative stances on many social issues. He favors stronger military and law enforcement spending, as well as more restrictive laws against abortion and pornography. He has also spoken favorably of tighter immigration restrictions and expanded government wiretapping powers of suspected terrorists. Shapiro is also strongly critical of the liberal beliefs of many of his fellow Jewish-Americans. Shapiro is also a very strong advocate for abstinence before marriage. Shapiro married in Acre, Israel in July 2008. [1]

Ben Shapiro is an Orthodox Jew.