In 1981, he graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in history.[3] After graduating he taught high school math for six years in San Francisco and Colorado Springs. He then went to UC Berkeley and obtained a PhD in mathematics in 1992.[4]
In 2015, Zeitz co-founded "Proof" which is a private school for middle and high school grade levels that is focused on math. Proof teaches mathematics from the perspective that it is a "joyous art form."[3][5] He also co-founded the Bay Area Mathematical Olympiad in 1999 and the San Francisco Math Circle in 2005.[4][6][7]
Zeitz has a lecture series called Art and Craft of Mathematical Problem Solving that he made for The Teaching Company on their platform The Great Courses Plus.[9]