School calendar 2026: term dates
2026 has four terms for public schools: Term 1 14 January to 27 March 2026; Term 2 8 April to 26 June 2026; Term 3 21 July to 23 September 2026; Term 4 6 October to 9 December 2026. That is 199 school days (the Gazette prints 200; Wednesday 4 November 2026 was declared a public holiday after it was published).
Terms and school days
| Term | First school day | Last school day | Weeks | School days | Weekdays off inside the term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Days for administration from | 11 | 5353 weekdays; 55 with the days for administration | none | |
| Term 2 | 12 | 5458 weekdays minus 4 off | Mon 27 Apr: Freedom DayFri 1 May: Workers’ DayMon 15 Jun: special school holidayTue 16 Jun: Youth Day | ||
| Term 3 | 10 | 4647 weekdays minus 1 off | Mon 10 Aug: Public holiday for National Women’s Day | ||
| Term 4 | Days for administration to | 10 | 4647 weekdays minus 1 off; 48 with the days for administrationGazette figure: 47 (49), printed before 4 November 2026 was declared a public holiday | Wed 4 Nov: Public holiday for the local government elections (declared) | |
| Year | 4 terms | 43 | 199203 with the days for administrationGazette figure: 200 (204), printed before 4 November 2026 was declared a public holiday | 6 weekdays | |
Taken from Government Gazette 52177, Notice 5901 of 25 February 2025: 2026 Calendar for public schools; Department of Basic Education: Published 2026 School Calendar; gov.za: Public holidays in South Africa; Government Gazette 55352 (Regulation Gazette 12046), Proclamation Notice 346 of 8 September 2026: Declaration of 4 November 2026 as a public holiday; gov.za: Public Holidays Act: Declaration of the Fourth Day of November 2026 as Public Holiday throughout the Republic. Saved copies last read on .
Every count in the table was recomputed from the dates: the weekdays from the first to the last school day equal the Gazette’s “No. of days”, and those weekdays minus the public and special school holidays inside the term equal its “Actual no. of school days”, except where a later proclamation added a day off: (Proclamation Notice 346 of 2026, Government Gazette 55352 of ). There the table shows the school days that are left, with the Gazette’s printed figure under it.
What sets 2026 apart
- Term 2 is the longest (54 school days); terms 3 and 4 are joint shortest, with 46 school days each. Weekdays off inside the terms: four in Term 2, one in Term 3, one in Term 4.
- 2026 has 199 school days: two days more than 2027 (197), one day fewer than 2028 (200). The Gazette prints 200; it came out before Wednesday 4 November 2026 was declared a public holiday.
Taken from Government Gazette 52177, Notice 5901 of 25 February 2025: 2026 Calendar for public schools; Department of Basic Education: Published 2026 School Calendar; gov.za: Public holidays in South Africa; Government Gazette 55352 (Regulation Gazette 12046), Proclamation Notice 346 of 8 September 2026: Declaration of 4 November 2026 as a public holiday; gov.za: Public Holidays Act: Declaration of the Fourth Day of November 2026 as Public Holiday throughout the Republic. Saved copies last read on .
The Gazette notice
- Government Gazette
- No. 52177,
- Notice
- No. 5901, Department of Basic Education
- Published by
- Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube
- Applies to
- Public schools in all nine provinces
In Notice 5901 the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, publishes the 2026 Calendar for public schools in South Africa under section 3(4)(k) of the National Education Policy Act 27 of 1996, after consultation with the Council of Education Ministers. The calendar itself is the schedule printed with the notice.
Taken from Government Gazette 52177, Notice 5901 of 25 February 2025: 2026 Calendar for public schools; Department of Basic Education: Published 2026 School Calendar. Saved copies last read on .
Days for administration
Bracketed dates around the start of Term 1 and the end of Term 4 are days for administration, excluded from school day counts. The Gazette does not say who attends.
One calendar
The Minister of Basic Education publishes one calendar in the Government Gazette for public schools in all nine provinces. Independent schools are not bound by the public school calendar. They set their own term dates.
2026 on one page
The year grid prints on one page.
- School day (solid tint)
- Day for administration (dashed frame)
- School holiday (diagonal stripes)
- Public holiday (ring)
- Special school holiday (square frame)
Select a day for its details; the arrow keys move between days.
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No day selected.
Taken from Government Gazette 52177, Notice 5901 of 25 February 2025: 2026 Calendar for public schools; Department of Basic Education: Published 2026 School Calendar; gov.za: Public holidays in South Africa; Government Gazette 55352 (Regulation Gazette 12046), Proclamation Notice 346 of 8 September 2026: Declaration of 4 November 2026 as a public holiday; gov.za: Public Holidays Act: Declaration of the Fourth Day of November 2026 as Public Holiday throughout the Republic. Saved copies last read on .
Add the 2026 terms and holidays to your calendar The calendar file uses the .ics format. Import it into a phone or computer calendar to add the dates.
Questions people ask
- When does school start in 2026?
- School days of Term 1 start on Wednesday 14 January 2026; Monday 12 January 2026 and the day after are days for administration.
- When does Term 4 2026 end?
- The last school day is Wednesday 9 December 2026; days for administration follow until Friday 11 December 2026.
The Gazette notices and pages behind this page
- Government Gazette 52177, Notice 5901 of 25 February 2025: 2026 Calendar for public schools (copy saved )
- Department of Basic Education: Published 2026 School Calendar (copy saved )
- gov.za: Public holidays in South Africa (copy saved )
- Government Gazette 55352 (Regulation Gazette 12046), Proclamation Notice 346 of 8 September 2026: Declaration of 4 November 2026 as a public holiday (copy saved )
- gov.za: Public Holidays Act: Declaration of the Fourth Day of November 2026 as Public Holiday throughout the Republic (copy saved )
Each figure above was tested against saved copies of these papers, last read on . Should this page and the Government Gazette ever part ways, go by the Gazette. How each date is tested.