New South Wales · government schools
No — government schools in New South Wales are in Term 4.
Saturday 24 October 2026. Term 4 runs to Thu 17 Dec.
Thursday
17December 2026
Last day of Term 4
in 54 days- Next school holidays
- 18 December – 2 February 2027 47 days off, weekends included
- Breaks still to start in 2026
- 1
- Term 1 2027 begins
- Wed 3 Feb Staff go back Thu 28 Jan — see the staff days
- Applies to
- Government schools Catholic and independent set their own
NSW school holidays coming up
Measured the way a parent measures it: from the last day your child is at school to the first day they go back.
The rest of 2026
| Break | Last school day | First day back |
|---|---|---|
| Summer holidays 47 days off | Thu 17 Dec | Wed 3 Feb |
2027
| Break | Last school day | First day back |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn holidays 19 days off | Fri 9 Apr | Thu 29 Apr |
| Winter holidays 17 days off | Fri 2 Jul | Tue 20 Jul |
| Spring holidays 17 days off | Fri 24 Sep | Tue 12 Oct |
| Summer holidays Back-to-school date not published yet | Mon 20 Dec | Term 1 2028 not published |
Earlier in 2026 — 3 breaks already over
| Break | Last school day | First day back |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn holidays 19 days off | Thu 2 Apr | Wed 22 Apr |
| Winter holidays 17 days off | Fri 3 Jul | Tue 21 Jul |
| Spring holidays 17 days off | Fri 25 Sep | Tue 13 Oct |
The department's own dates, counted differently
The same breaks, counted the department's way. Where this is shorter than the table above, the difference is public holidays and staff days that sit inside the break.
| Period | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Tue 7 Apr | Fri 17 Apr |
| Winter | Mon 6 Jul | Fri 17 Jul |
| Spring | Mon 28 Sep | Fri 9 Oct |
| Summer | Fri 18 Dec | Wed 27 Jan |
Term dates
| Term | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Mon 2 Feb to Thu 2 Apr | Wed 3 Feb to Fri 9 Apr |
| Term 2 | Wed 22 Apr to Fri 3 Jul | Thu 29 Apr to Fri 2 Jul |
| Term 3 | Tue 21 Jul to Fri 25 Sep | Tue 20 Jul to Fri 24 Sep |
| Term 4 | Tue 13 Oct to Thu 17 Dec | Tue 12 Oct to Mon 20 Dec |
Good to know: New South Wales splits its school year in two: the far west starts a week later than everyone else, and the department’s published holiday dates are shorter than the break your child actually gets.
Whose school holidays are these?
The department's calendar is not everybody's calendar
These are the dates for NSW government schools. Catholic systemic and independent schools are not bound by the department's calendar — most sit close to it, but they set their own start and finish days and their own staff development days, and independent schools commonly begin and end a few days earlier. Check your own school before booking anything.
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 department.
- 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
Pupil-free days: when teachers go back
Most states and territories bring staff back before students, and the gap is why two calendars can give different answers for the same first day of school. New South Wales calls them school development days.
The NSW department sets these dates and publishes them
The department sets them and publishes every one, for all four terms. Western division — 'late start' — schools run a week behind at the start of the year, so their Term 1 block is a different week from everybody else's.
Seven or eight a year, four of them in a block before students return.
| 2026 | Date | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Tue 27 Jan to Fri 30 Jan | all schools |
| Term 1 | Tue 3 Feb to Fri 6 Feb | Western division schoolsWestern division students return 9 February — a week after the rest of the state, which is why this block is later too. |
| Term 2 | Mon 20 Apr to Tue 21 Apr | all schools |
| Term 3 | Mon 20 Jul | all schools |
| Term 4 | Mon 12 Oct | all schools |
| 2027 | Date | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Thu 28 Jan to Tue 2 Feb | all schools |
| Term 1 | Thu 4 Feb to Tue 9 Feb | Western division schoolsWestern division students return 10 February — a week after the rest of the state, which is why this block is later too. |
| Term 2 | Tue 27 Apr to Wed 28 Apr | all schools |
| Term 3 | Mon 19 Jul | all schools |
| Term 4 | Mon 11 Oct | all schools |
Source: NSW Department of Education, read .
The catches in NSW's calendar
Things the dates alone do not tell you
- Western division — Schools in the far west of NSW — 'late start' schools — begin the school year a week later and get extra vacation days at the start of each year. Terms 2, 3 and 4 are identical to the Eastern division.
- The department's published vacation periods are narrower than the gap between terms: they exclude public holidays and staff development days. The row that matters to a parent is the last and first day for students, which is why this page shows both.
- The department notes that a small number of schools near the Victorian and Queensland borders operate on dates that differ from the standard calendar.
Public holidays during the NSW 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 NSW, where every date is checked against the Public Holidays Act 2010 (NSW) No 115.
Frequently asked questions
When does school go back in NSW?
When are the next school holidays in NSW?
When do the 2027 school terms start and end in NSW?
When are the pupil-free days in NSW?
When are the Easter school holidays in NSW?
Why do the NSW school holiday dates I see keep disagreeing?
Because two different things are being counted. The department publishes a narrower vacation period that leaves out the public holidays and staff development days at each end — its 2026 autumn holidays run 7 to 17 April, eleven days.
A parent counts every day their child is not at school, which in 2026 runs from Friday 3 April to Tuesday 21 April: nineteen days, not eleven. Both numbers are correct and they answer different questions. This page shows both, with the parent’s version first.
Do schools in western NSW have different holidays?
They have a different start, not different holidays. Schools in the Western Division — the department calls them ‘late start’ schools — begin the school year a week after the rest of the state and get the extra days at the end of the summer break. Terms 2, 3 and 4 are identical.
In 2026 that put Western Division students back at school on Monday 9 February, a week after the rest of the state went back on Monday 2 February. If you are moving between Broken Hill and Sydney, that is a week of childcare nobody warned you about.
Do NSW private schools have the same holidays?
Roughly, and not exactly. Independent schools set their own calendars and most begin a few days before the government schools and finish a few days earlier in December. Catholic systemic schools sit closer to the government dates but their dioceses set their own staff days.
The practical version: if you have children at two different schools, do not assume one calendar covers both. It is an easy way to book a holiday that only half the family can take.
Are there NSW schools that follow neither calendar?
Yes, and the department says so itself. A small number of government schools close to the Victorian and Queensland borders run on dates that differ from the standard NSW calendar, because they sit inside communities that work to the neighbouring state’s rhythm.
The department’s advice for those schools is to check the individual school’s website. It is a small number of schools, but if yours is one of them the statewide table is simply not about you.
Verified
Term dates from NSW Department of Education, checked . Built for . These are government school dates — confirm with your own school before you book anything.