William Bradford Shockley Jr. was born in London to American parents, William Bradford Shockley Sr., a mining engineer, and May (Lyman) Shockley, a mineral surveyor. His parents were working abroad at the time.

The Shockley family moved back to the United States, settling in Palo Alto, California. This location would later become significant as the heart of Silicon Valley.

Shockley spent his childhood in Palo Alto. He demonstrated an early aptitude for mathematics and science.

Shockley attended Hollywood High School, where he continued to excel in his studies, particularly in science and mathematics.

Shockley initially enrolled at UCLA before transferring to Caltech.

Shockley studied physics at Caltech, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree. He was deeply influenced by his professors, including Pauling and Oppenheimer.

Shockley pursued his Ph.D. in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), specializing in solid-state physics under Professor John C. Slater. This was a pivotal period where he began focusing on the properties of semiconductors.

Shockley successfully defended his dissertation, earning his Ph.D. in physics from MIT. His doctoral work laid the groundwork for his later groundbreaking research on transistors.