Here are the proposed 2026 and 2027 school calendars for South Africa

The Department of Basic Education has released the proposed school calendars for 2026 and 2027, offering a glimpse into the changes in South Africa’s academic schedule over the coming years.

A comparison with the 2025 calendar highlights several differences in the number of school days, holidays, and public holidays.

In 2025, the school year will begin on 15 January and end on 12 December, spanning 200 school days across the four terms.

This marks an earlier start compared to 2024, with two additional school days. The year will feature 27 school holidays, a slight increase from the 25 holidays in 2024, providing students and teachers with more breaks throughout the year.

The 2026 academic year will follow a similar structure, beginning on 12 January for teachers and continuing until mid-December.

It will also comprise 200 school days, just like in 2025.

However, the 2026 school calendar will include 27 days of school holidays, similar to 2025, but there will be seven public holidays during the academic year, offering more opportunities for long weekends or breaks.

In 2027, a slight reduction in school days is expected, with 199 school days instead of 200.

The school year will commence earlier for teachers, on 11 January, and continue until mid-December.

The number of school holidays will increase slightly to 29, but there will be fewer public holidays—only five during the school year compared to seven in 2026.

Overall, while the number of school days remains fairly consistent across the three years, the allocation of holidays and public holidays shifts slightly, impacting the structure of breaks throughout the academic year.

These changes reflect the Department’s efforts to balance academic requirements with necessary downtime for learners and teachers.

The 2026 dates for the school terms for learners are as follows:

• Term 1: 14 January – 27 March
• Term 2: 08 April – 26 June
• Term 3: 21 July – 02 October
• Term 4: 13 October – 09 December

The 2027 dates for the school terms for learners are as follows:

• Term 1: 13 January – 19 March
• Term 2: 06 April – 25 June
• Term 3: 20 July – 01 October
• Term 4: 11 October – 08 December

The full-year calendar can be found below:

Read: Big shake-up for school calendars in South Africa in 2025 – with a whole week ‘written off’