ACT term dates and school holidays 2026
School holidays 2026: after Term 1 3–20 Apr, derived · after Term 2 4–20 Jul, derived · after Term 3 26 Sep–12 Oct, derived · summer from 19 Dec, derived
Term dates 2026
| Term | Dates | School weeks (calculated) |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | to Download calendar entry: Term 1 2026
| 9 weeks |
| Term 2 | to Download calendar entry: Term 2 2026 | 11 weeks |
| Term 3 | to Download calendar entry: Term 3 2026 | 10 weeks |
| Term 4 | to Download calendar entry: Term 4 2026 | 10 weeks |
School holidays 2026, including the Easter break
| Holiday period | Dates | Length |
|---|---|---|
| School holidays after Term 1 | to , derived Back at school | 18 days 10 weekdays to plan for, derived |
| School holidays after Term 2 | to , derived Back at school | 17 days 11 weekdays to plan for, derived |
| School holidays after Term 3 | to , derived Back at school | 17 days 10 weekdays to plan for, derived |
| Summer school holidays | to , derived Back at school
| 44 days 26 weekdays to plan for, derived |
Calculated from the published dates, this counts Monday to Friday while students are away, excluding public holidays that apply across the whole state or territory. Parents who work Monday to Friday may need to arrange care or leave for these days, depending on their working arrangements and any local public holidays.
Holiday periods calculated from term boundaries
Some holiday periods on this page are calculated from published term boundaries rather than printed by the department. Entries marked as derived run from the day after the published finish date to the day before the published return date, using separate student dates where available and the term boundaries otherwise, with no extra days added and no missing dates estimated.
Download calendar file (.ics) The file contains only published dates, with no calculated or assumed entries.
- First day of school
- Friday 30 January 2026New students Friday 30 January 2026; Continuing students Monday 2 February 2026
- Last day of school
- Friday 18 December 2026
- School weeks, derived
- 40counted here from the term dates, Monday to Friday
- Days in listed school holidays beginning in 2026, derived
- 96 days
- Breaks starting in the year shown
- Holiday periods beginning in 2026: 4
- Weekdays off between terms, derived
- 34 weekdays within breaks between terms, excluding summer
- School holiday comparison for 2026, derived
- Weekdays off between terms: most in NSW (35), fewest in SA and TAS (30); calendars compared: 8
- Longest break starting in the year shown, with published dates, derived
- Summer school holidays: 30 weekdays, spanning 44 days overall
- Shortest school break, derived
- School holidays after Term 3: 11 weekdays across 17 days in total
- Public holidays within school breaks, derived
- Territory-wide public holiday dates in 2026: 10 of 15 within school holidays
- Long weekends during 2026, derived
- 8 long weekends from territory-wide public holidays; in term time: 4
A derived label marks a figure calculated here from official dates; the official source does not publish the figure itself.
Check government school term dates and school holidays in the Australian Capital Territory for 2026. First days back are listed beside each break where published. Term lengths are shown in weeks and break lengths in days. Pupil-free days set centrally by the department are listed separately where published; individual schools may announce additional days. Holiday periods calculated from term boundaries carry a derived label. The source details at the end link to the official calendar and record when it was read.
Related
- School holidays across Australia 2026ACT next to the other states and territories
- Public holidays ACT 202615 territory-wide holiday dates with weekdays
- Easter school holidays 2026Every state's Easter break, including the first day back
- Christmas school holidays 2026Christmas summer holidays in every state, with the first day back
- School holidays in the Australian Capital Territorycountdown and every published year
Questions and answers
When do school holidays start in the ACT in 2026?
In 2026: school holidays after Term 1 from Friday 3 April 2026, school holidays after Term 2 from Saturday 4 July 2026, school holidays after Term 3 from Saturday 26 September 2026, summer school holidays from Saturday 19 December 2026. Check the school holidays table above for each published break in the ACT during 2026. A derived label marks a period calculated from the surrounding term dates.
When does school go back after the 2026 school holidays in the ACT?
Back at school in the ACT after the Term 1 holidays: Tuesday 21 April 2026; after the Term 2 holidays: Tuesday 21 July 2026; after the Term 3 holidays: Tuesday 13 October 2026; after the summer school holidays: new students on Monday 1 February 2027, continuing students on Tuesday 2 February 2027. For the ACT school holidays listed for 2026, check the first day back beside each break, where published. Read the pupil-free day notes too, as staff and students may return on different days.
Sources
- ACT Government: Public holidays, school terms and daylight saving (read on )
- ACT Government: Public holidays, school terms and daylight saving (read on )
Dates on this page were last checked against the official pages on . If any dates differ, follow the official page.