Gazetted calendar • verified 18 September 2026
Term dates and school holidays for public schools from the Department of Basic Education’s gazetted 2027 calendar, plus the remaining 2026 dates: term 4 and the December break.
Next school holiday
Holiday starts
Thursday, 24 September 2026
Schools reopen
Tuesday, 6 October 2026
Term 4 2026
Days to go
6 days
Worked out from the gazetted term dates below using South African time. Once a holiday ends, this block moves on to the next one.
Government Notices 5901 and 5902 of 2025
| Term | Learners open | Learners close | Weeks | School days | Holidays inside the term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term 3 2026 | Tue, 21 Jul 2026 | Wed, 23 Sept 2026 | 10 | 46 | National Women’s Day observed Monday 10 August |
| Term 4 2026 | Tue, 6 Oct 2026 | Wed, 9 Dec 2026 Educators Fri, 11 Dec 2026 | 10 | 47 | None |
| Term 1 2027 | Wed, 13 Jan 2027 Educators Mon, 11 Jan 2027 | Fri, 19 Mar 2027 | 10 | 48 | None |
| Term 2 2027 | Tue, 6 Apr 2027 | Fri, 25 Jun 2027 | 12 | 56 | Special school holiday Monday 26 April, Freedom Day Tuesday 27 April, Youth Day Wednesday 16 June |
| Term 3 2027 | Tue, 20 Jul 2027 | Wed, 22 Sept 2027 | 10 | 46 | National Women’s Day Monday 9 August |
| Term 4 2027 | Tue, 5 Oct 2027 | Wed, 8 Dec 2027 Educators Fri, 10 Dec 2027 | 10 | 47 | None |
School days are the actual learner days after public holidays are removed. The 2027 year has 42 weeks and 197 learner days (201 for educators). One calendar applies to all nine provinces; there is no inland or coastal split.
Each holiday runs from the day after a term closes for learners to the day before the next term opens.
| Holiday | First day | Last day | Schools reopen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring holidays 2026 | Thu, 24 Sept 2026 | Mon, 5 Oct 2026 | Tue, 6 Oct 2026 |
| December holidays 2026/27 | Thu, 10 Dec 2026 | Tue, 12 Jan 2027 | Wed, 13 Jan 2027 |
| Autumn (Easter) holidays 2027 | Sat, 20 Mar 2027 | Mon, 5 Apr 2027 | Tue, 6 Apr 2027 |
| Winter holidays 2027 | Sat, 26 Jun 2027 | Mon, 19 Jul 2027 | Tue, 20 Jul 2027 |
| Spring holidays 2027 | Thu, 23 Sept 2027 | Mon, 4 Oct 2027 | Tue, 5 Oct 2027 |
| December holidays 2027 | Thu, 9 Dec 2027 | Awaiting 2028 gazette | Term 1 2028 (date to be gazetted) |
Rest of 2026
Term 4 opens on Tuesday 6 October 2026 and closes for learners on Wednesday 9 December 2026, with educators leaving on Friday 11 December. There are no public holidays inside the term, giving 47 school days over 10 weeks. The December holidays run from 10 December 2026 until schools reopen on Wednesday 13 January 2027.
2026 gazette (GN 5901) ↗Grade 12 in 2027?
Most bursary closing dates land in term 2 and term 3, and NSFAS opens before the December break. Plan around the calendar rather than the other way round.
As listed in the gazetted school calendar. Holidays that fall on a weekend are shown, together with the Monday that is observed instead when a holiday lands on a Sunday.
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Fri, 1 Jan 2027 | New Year’s Day |
| Sun, 21 Mar 2027 | Human Rights Day (Sunday) |
| Mon, 22 Mar 2027 | Public holiday (Human Rights Day observed) |
| Fri, 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday |
| Mon, 29 Mar 2027 | Family Day |
| Mon, 26 Apr 2027 | Special school holiday (schools only) |
| Tue, 27 Apr 2027 | Freedom Day |
| Sat, 1 May 2027 | Workers’ Day (Saturday) |
| Wed, 16 Jun 2027 | Youth Day |
| Mon, 9 Aug 2027 | National Women’s Day |
| Fri, 24 Sept 2027 | Heritage Day |
| Thu, 16 Dec 2027 | Day of Reconciliation |
| Sat, 25 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (Saturday) |
| Sun, 26 Dec 2027 | Day of Goodwill (Sunday) |
| Mon, 27 Dec 2027 | Public holiday (Day of Goodwill observed) |
Public schools open for learners on Wednesday 13 January 2027. Educators report two days earlier, on Monday 11 January 2027. Term 1 runs to Friday 19 March 2027.
Term 4 of 2026 ends for learners on Wednesday 9 December 2026. Educators stay until Friday 11 December 2026 for year-end administration. The December holidays then run until schools reopen on 13 January 2027.
It is final. The Minister of Basic Education published the 2027 Calendar for Public Schools as Government Notice 5902 in Government Gazette No. 52178 on 25 February 2025, after consulting the Council of Education Ministers. No amendment has been gazetted as at 18 September 2026.
No. The gazetted 2027 calendar contains a single set of term dates for all nine provinces. South Africa stopped splitting the calendar into inland and coastal clusters from 2024 onwards.
Learners have 197 actual school days across 42 weeks. Educators have 201 days because they report on 11 January and leave on 10 December. Term 2 is the longest at 12 weeks and 56 school days.
The summary on the gov.za school calendar web page lists term 3 as ending on 1 October and term 4 as starting on 11 October, but the figures there do not add up and differ from the gazette it links to. The gazetted notice, which is the legal calendar, says term 3 ends on 22 September 2027 and term 4 runs from 5 October to 8 December 2027. This page follows the gazette.
Not necessarily. The gazetted calendar binds public schools. Independent schools set their own terms, although many align closely with the public calendar. Check with the school directly.
Source note: Dates are transcribed from Government Notice 5902 (2027 Calendar for Public Schools) and Government Notice 5901 (2026 Calendar for Public Schools), both signed by the Minister of Basic Education and published in the Government Gazette on 25 February 2025. Follow any later gazetted amendment if one is issued after this page’s 18 September 2026 verification date.
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