Term 1 kicks off for teachers and administration on 12 January, while students will be filling the halls from the 14th.
As Human Rights Day falls on Saturday, 21 March, students won't see a day off from school. However, they won't have to wait much longer for a break, as the term ends the following Friday, 27 March.
The Easter weekend falls conveniently within the allotted holiday period this year (3-6 April), and class will be back in session from 8 April.
With Freedom Day (27 April) and Worker's Day (1 May) falling on the Monday and Friday of the same week, HR may find itself juggling multiple vacation requests from staff looking to take advantage of taking nine days off for the price of three, while avoiding the usual school holiday traffic.
Schools, on the other hand, have been issued a bonus day off in June, as the 15th has been declared a 'special school holiday' preceding Youth Day on the 16th, creating an exclusive long weekend for them. Term 2 officially ends on 26 June.
Term 3 gets underway on 21 July and sees Women's Day (9 August) recognised as a public holiday on the 10th. Seeing as Heritage Day (24 September) falls on the cusp of the close of term, classes end on Wednesday the 23rd.
The final push for the year starts on 6 October, with no public holidays in sight until 16 December. But by then, schools will already be out for summer - having closed on the 9th for students, and the 11th for staff.
View the official 2026 school calendar here.
