Francis Galton was born into a prominent Quaker family in Sparkbrook, near Birmingham. His father, Samuel Tertius Galton, was a banker and scientist, and his mother, Violetta Darwin, was a half-sister of Charles Darwin's father, Robert Darwin. This heritage placed him within a family deeply involved in intellectual and scientific endeavors.

Galton displayed exceptional intellectual abilities from a young age. He learned to read very early and showed a keen interest in numbers and calculation. He memorized long passages and demonstrated a remarkable capacity for learning, leading his family to believe in his exceptional potential.

Galton attended various schools, including a dame school and a boarding school. However, he found the traditional curriculum uninspiring and often felt stifled by the rote learning methods. His independent and inquisitive nature clashed with the rigid educational environment, leading to some frustration.

Following his early schooling, Galton began a medical apprenticeship at Birmingham General Hospital. This experience exposed him to the realities of human suffering and disease, but it also sparked his interest in anatomy and physiology, laying the groundwork for his later scientific investigations.

Galton enrolled at King's College London to further his medical studies. While he found some aspects of the curriculum engaging, he remained somewhat disillusioned with the conventional medical approach and continued to pursue his own intellectual interests.

Galton entered Trinity College, Cambridge, initially intending to continue his medical studies. However, he soon shifted his focus to mathematics, finding it a more intellectually stimulating and rewarding field. He excelled in his mathematical studies but ultimately suffered a nervous breakdown before taking his final examinations.