Right now
Schools are in Term 3 of 2026.
The term ends on Wednesday 23 September 2026.
School terms 2026
Gazetted on 25 February 2025 in Government Gazette 52177. 200 school days for learners over 43 weeks.
| Term | Learners attend | Weeks | School days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | 14 January to 27 March 2026Teachers 12 January to 27 March 2026 | 11 | 53 |
| Term 2 | 8 April to 26 June 2026 | 12 | 54 |
| Term 3 | 21 July to 23 September 2026 | 10 | 46 |
| Term 4 | 6 October to 9 December 2026Teachers 6 October to 11 December 2026 | 10 | 47 |
| Total | 43 weeks of school | 43 | 200 |
School holidays 2026
The gaps between terms, counted from the first day off to the last.
Autumn holidays
28 March to 7 April 2026
11 days off. Schools reopen for Term 2.
Winter holidays
27 June to 20 July 2026
24 days off. Schools reopen for Term 3.
Spring holidays
24 September to 5 October 2026
12 days off. Schools reopen for Term 4.
Summer holidays
10 December 2026 to 12 January 2027
34 days off. Schools reopen for Term 1.
Public holidays 2026
- New Year's Day1 January
- Human Rights Day21 March
- Good Friday3 April
- Family Day6 April
- Freedom Day27 April
- Workers' Day1 May
- Special school holidayschools only15 June
- Youth Day16 June
- National Women's Day9 August
- Public holiday for National Women's Day10 August
- Heritage Day24 September
- Day of Reconciliation16 December
- Christmas Day25 December
- Day of Goodwill26 December
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School terms 2027
Gazetted on 25 February 2025 in Government Gazette 52178. 197 school days for learners over 42 weeks.
| Term | Learners attend | Weeks | School days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | 13 January to 19 March 2027Teachers 11 January to 19 March 2027 | 10 | 48 |
| Term 2 | 6 April to 25 June 2027 | 12 | 56 |
| Term 3 | 20 July to 22 September 2027 | 10 | 46 |
| Term 4 | 5 October to 8 December 2027Teachers 5 October to 10 December 2027 | 10 | 47 |
| Total | 42 weeks of school | 42 | 197 |
School holidays 2027
The gaps between terms, counted from the first day off to the last.
Autumn holidays
20 March to 5 April 2027
17 days off. Schools reopen for Term 2.
Winter holidays
26 June to 19 July 2027
24 days off. Schools reopen for Term 3.
Spring holidays
23 September to 4 October 2027
12 days off. Schools reopen for Term 4.
Summer holidays
9 December 2027 to 11 January 2028
34 days off. Schools reopen for Term 1.
Public holidays 2027
- New Year's Day1 January
- Human Rights Day21 March
- Public holiday for Human Rights Day22 March
- Good Friday26 March
- Family Day29 March
- Special school holidayschools only26 April
- Freedom Day27 April
- Workers' Day1 May
- Youth Day16 June
- National Women's Day9 August
- Heritage Day24 September
- Day of Reconciliation16 December
- Christmas Day25 December
- Day of Goodwill26 December
- Public holiday for Day of Goodwill27 December
School terms 2028
Proposed, not finalPublished for public comment on 4 November 2025 in Government Gazette 53626. These dates can still change before the final notice is gazetted.
| Term | Learners attend | Weeks | School days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | 12 January to 17 March 2028Teachers 10 January to 17 March 2028 | 10 | 48 |
| Term 2 | 28 March to 14 June 2028 | 12 | 52 |
| Term 3 | 11 July to 22 September 2028 | 11 | 53 |
| Term 4 | 3 October to 6 December 2028Teachers 3 October to 8 December 2028 | 10 | 47 |
| Total | 43 weeks of school | 43 | 200 |
School holidays 2028
The gaps between terms, counted from the first day off to the last.
Autumn holidays
18 March to 27 March 2028
10 days off. Schools reopen for Term 2.
Winter holidays
15 June to 10 July 2028
26 days off. Schools reopen for Term 3.
Spring holidays
23 September to 2 October 2028
10 days off. Schools reopen for Term 4.
Public holidays 2028
- New Year's Day1 January
- Human Rights Day21 March
- Good Friday14 April
- Family Day17 April
- Freedom Day27 April
- Special school holidayschools only28 April
- Workers' Day1 May
- Youth Day16 June
- National Women's Day9 August
- Heritage Day24 September
- Public holiday for Heritage Day25 September
- Day of Reconciliation16 December
- Christmas Day25 December
- Day of Goodwill26 December
Where these dates come from
Every date on this page is transcribed from the Government Gazette notices the Department of Basic Education publishes under the National Education Policy Act, 1996. Each PDF is linked above so you can check it yourself.
This matters more than it should. The summary table on gov.za lists Term 3 of 2027 as ending on 1 October and Term 4 as starting on 11 October. The gazette says 22 September and 5 October, a difference of nine days. The gazette is right: its week and day counts add up to the published yearly totals, and the gov.za figures for those two terms are the 2025 calendar's rows repeated by mistake. We test every term on this page against the number of weekdays between its dates, so a bad date cannot ship unnoticed.
One more thing worth knowing: there is no longer an Inland and Coastal split. Public schools in all nine provinces run the same term dates.
School calendar questions
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