Australian Capital Territory · government schools
No — Australian Capital Territory government schools are in Term 3.
Tuesday 8 September 2026. Term 3 runs to Fri 25 Sep.
Canberra is the only place in the country that gives new students a different first day from everyone else — and the only one where a Year 12 exam timetable, not the calendar, decides the last day.
Saturday
26September 2026
Spring holidays begin
in 18 days- Last day of this term
- Fri 25 Sep
- Length of the next break
- 17 daysLast day of school to first day back
- Breaks left in 2026
- 2
- Applies to
- Government schoolsCatholic and independent set their own
Whose school holidays are these?
The department's calendar is not everybody's calendar
These are the dates for ACT PUBLIC schools. The ACT Government says it plainly on the same page: private schools may have different dates. Catholic systemic and independent schools in Canberra set their own calendars, and an independent Canberra school ranks in the top ten for the Territory's school-holiday search term precisely because parents go looking for its dates rather than the government's.
That is why a search for your state's school holidays turns up your state's education department, an independent schools association and somebody's individual school, all with slightly different dates. None of them is wrong. They are answering for different schools.
- Government schools — The dates in the tables on this page, set by the ACT Government.
- Catholic systemic schools — Catholic systemic schools are close to the government dates but not bound by them — dioceses set their own staff development days, and start and finish days can move by a day or two. Check your diocese or your school.
- Independent schools — Independent schools set their own calendar entirely. In practice most start a little earlier and finish a little earlier than the government dates, and their terms can be a few days shorter at each end. The only reliable source is your own school’s published calendar.
2026 at a glance
The school year on one screen: term breaks shaded, public holidays filled, today ringed. This is the view worth printing for the fridge.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
ACT school holidays in 2026
Measured the way a parent measures it: from the last day your child is at school to the first day they go back.
| Break | Last day | Back at school | Days off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn holidays | Thu 2 Apr | Tue 21 Apr | 18 |
| Winter holidays | Fri 3 Jul | Tue 21 Jul | 17 |
| Spring holidays | Fri 25 Sep | Tue 13 Oct | 17 |
| Summer holidays | Fri 18 Dec | Tue 2 Feb | 45 |
Term dates
| Term | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Mon 2 Feb – Thu 2 Apr | Tue 2 Feb – Fri 9 Apr |
| Term 2 | Tue 21 Apr – Fri 3 Jul | Wed 28 Apr – Fri 2 Jul |
| Term 3 | Tue 21 Jul – Fri 25 Sep | Tue 20 Jul – Fri 24 Sep |
| Term 4 | Tue 13 Oct – Fri 18 Dec | Tue 12 Oct – Fri 17 Dec |
The catches in ACT's calendar
Things the dates alone do not tell you
- The ACT is the only jurisdiction here that publishes TWO Term 1 start dates for students: new students start a day or two before continuing ones. New students means Kindergarten, Year 7 and Year 11 — anyone starting at a school for the first time or moving up to the next school type — even if they were already at the same campus.
- The tables here use the CONTINUING student date, which is the day most families are asking about. If you have a child starting Kindergarten, Year 7 or Year 11, add the earlier date.
- College exam periods are set and communicated by individual schools, not centrally, so a Year 12 student's last day is not on the Territory calendar at all.
Public holidays during the ACT school year
Term time has public holidays in it too, and they are not the same days as the school breaks — see public holidays in ACT, where every date is checked against Holidays Act 1958 (ACT) A1958-19.
Frequently asked questions
Why do ACT schools have two different first days?
Because new students start before everyone else. The ACT publishes a separate start date for them — in 2026, Friday 30 January for new students and Monday 2 February for continuing ones.
“New” is broader than it sounds. It covers every Kindergarten, Year 7 and Year 11 student, even one who was already at the same campus the year before, plus anyone joining a school for the first time. So a family with a Year 6 and a Year 7 has two different first days in the same week.
When does Year 12 actually finish in the ACT?
Whenever your college says. The Territory calendar gives a Term 4 end date, but the ACT Government notes that college exam periods are managed and communicated by individual schools.
So the date in the table is the school year’s last day, not a leaver’s. If you are planning around the end of Year 12 — a holiday, a job start, a lease — the college is the only source that can tell you, and it is worth asking early.
Do ACT school holidays match New South Wales?
Closely, and not exactly. The ACT is surrounded by NSW and the two calendars run in step for most of the year — both take their spring break through late September and early October.
The gaps are at the edges. In 2026 ACT Term 2 starts on 21 April and NSW’s on the 22nd; in 2027 the ACT returns on 28 April and NSW on the 29th. A day either way is enough to matter if you live in Queanbeyan and work in Civic, or the other way round.
Verified
Term dates from ACT Government, checked . Built for. These are government school dates — confirm with your own school before you book anything.