How the school terms tool works
Last updated 10 November 2026
Public schools in South Africa follow a calendar published each year by the Minister of Basic Education under the National Education Policy Act. This tool shows the term dates for 2026 and 2027, the school holidays between them, and the days left to the next start or end.
How it works
- Choose a year. The first table lists the four terms with their first and last days, the number of weeks and the school days.
- The date box starts as today. Change it to count the days from any other date.
- The second table shows the school holiday after each term and the public holidays inside it. The third shows days off inside a term.
The 2026 calendar
In 2026, term 1 runs from 14 January 2026 to 27 March 2026; term 2 runs from 8 April 2026 to 26 June 2026; term 3 runs from 21 July 2026 to 23 September 2026; term 4 runs from 6 October 2026 to 9 December 2026. That gives 200 school days for learners. The longest school holiday is the one after term 4, at 34 days.
How school days are counted
School days are the weekdays between the first and last day of a term, less public holidays and special school holidays that fall inside it. This matches the totals in the calendar notice. The weeks column counts each calendar week that has at least one school day in it.
The public holidays come from the same data as the public holidays tool. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday after it is a public holiday too, and schools are closed that day.
Teachers and learners
The notices give two dates at the start of term 1 and the end of term 4. The earlier start and the later end are days for administration, when teachers are at school and learners are not. In 2026, teachers start on 12 January 2026 and finish on 11 December 2026.
Where the dates come from
The dates were read from the calendars for public schools published in the Government Gazette on 25 February 2025, linked below. They were last checked on 10 November 2026. The register on how we check figures shows the date each source was read.
What it does not cover
Independent schools, colleges and universities set their own dates. The Department can change a calendar or add a closure, and a province or school can tell you about local arrangements. Check with your school or the provincial education department for the final word on any one day.
Things to watch
- Two government pages gave different term 3 and term 4 dates for 2027. This page follows the gazette notice itself.
- The count of days uses the date on your device.
Nothing you enter is stored. This page runs in your browser, with no account and no upload.