UAE Announces New School Calendar for 2025–26
The UAE Ministry of Education has announced a revised structure for the national academic calendar starting from the 2025–2026 school year. The plan, approved by the Education, Human Development, and Community Development Council (EHCD), sets standardized start and end dates for terms and holidays across all public and private schools.
Key Dates for the 2025–2026 Academic Year
- Start of school year: August 25, 2025
- End of school year: July 3, 2026 (July 2 in Sharjah)
Term schedules and breaks:
- First Term: Ends December 7, 2025
- Winter Break: December 8, 2025 – January 4, 2026
- Schools reopen January 5, 2026
- Second Term: January 5 – March 15, 2026
- Spring Break: March 16 – 29, 2026
- Schools resume March 30, 2026 (March 23 in Sharjah)
- Third Term: March 30 – July 3, 2026 (July 2 in Sharjah)
Mid-Term Breaks for Public and Private Schools (Government Curriculum)
- First Term: October 13–19, 2025 (resume October 20)
- Second Term: February 11–15, 2026 (resume February 16)
- Third Term: May 25–31, 2026 (resume June 1) – aligned with Eid Al Adha
Additionally, private schools that do not follow the government curriculum may schedule separate mid-term breaks in October and February, not exceeding five consecutive days, but these must remain within the designated months.
Ministry Guidelines
The Ministry emphasized that all schools must strictly follow the approved calendar. Final assessments and curriculum completion must take place during the last week of each term to ensure full attendance until the final school day. Exceptions will only apply to students sitting for pre-scheduled international examinations.
Private schools that adopt the government curriculum are also required to adhere to the centralised testing calendar used by public schools.
