Northern Territory · government schools
No — government schools in the Northern Territory are in Term 4.
Saturday 24 October 2026. Term 4 runs to Thu 10 Dec.
Thursday
10December 2026
Last day of Term 4
in 47 days- Next school holidays
- 11 December – 26 January 2027 47 days off, weekends included
- Breaks still to start in 2026
- 1
- Term 1 2027 begins
- Wed 27 Jan Staff go back Mon 25 Jan — see the staff days
- Applies to
- Government schools Catholic and independent set their own
NT 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 10 Dec | Wed 27 Jan |
2027
| Break | Last school day | First day back |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn holidays 10 days off | Fri 2 Apr | Tue 13 Apr |
| Winter holidays 24 days off | Fri 18 Jun | Tue 13 Jul |
| Spring holidays 17 days off | Fri 17 Sep | Tue 5 Oct |
| Summer holidays Back-to-school date not published yet | Thu 9 Dec | Term 1 2028 not published |
Earlier in 2026 — 3 breaks already over
| Break | Last school day | First day back |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn holidays 11 days off | Thu 2 Apr | Tue 14 Apr |
| Winter holidays 24 days off | Fri 19 Jun | Tue 14 Jul |
| Spring holidays 17 days off | Fri 18 Sep | Tue 6 Oct |
Term dates
| Term | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Thu 29 Jan to Thu 2 Apr | Wed 27 Jan to Fri 2 Apr |
| Term 2 | Tue 14 Apr to Fri 19 Jun | Tue 13 Apr to Fri 18 Jun |
| Term 3 | Tue 14 Jul to Fri 18 Sep | Tue 13 Jul to Fri 17 Sep |
| Term 4 | Tue 6 Oct to Thu 10 Dec | Tue 5 Oct to Thu 9 Dec |
Good to know: The Territory finishes Term 2 in mid-June, earlier than anywhere else in the country, and gives every term a separate teacher and student start date.
Whose school holidays are these?
The department's calendar is not everybody's calendar
These are the dates for NT government schools. The department states it plainly on its own page: if your child attends a non-government school, check the term dates with the school.
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. The Northern Territory calls them teacher start days.
The NT department sets these dates and publishes them
The Territory does not publish a list of staff days — it publishes two start dates for every term, one for teachers and one for students, out to 2032. The gap between them is the staff day. At the end of the year the order reverses: students finish on the Thursday and teachers on the Friday.
Five a year: two before Term 1 and one before each of Terms 2, 3 and 4.
| 2026 | Date | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Tue 27 Jan to Wed 28 Jan | all schoolsStudents return Thursday 29 January. |
| Term 2 | Mon 13 Apr | all schools |
| Term 3 | Mon 13 Jul | all schools |
| Term 4 | Mon 5 Oct | all schools |
| End of year | Fri 11 Dec | all schoolsStudents finish Thursday 10 December; teachers work the Friday. |
| 2027 | Date | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Mon 25 Jan | all schools26 January is Australia Day; students return Wednesday 27 January. |
| Term 2 | Mon 12 Apr | all schools |
| Term 3 | Mon 12 Jul | all schools |
| Term 4 | Mon 4 Oct | all schools |
| End of year | Fri 10 Dec | all schoolsStudents finish Thursday 9 December; teachers work the Friday. |
Source: Northern Territory Government, read .
The catches in the NT's calendar
Things the dates alone do not tell you
- Every NT term has a teacher start date and a student start date a day or two later; the table here uses the student dates.
- Gunbalanya School operates on a flexible school year with its own dates, set through separate consultations — the Territory-wide calendar does not describe it.
- The Territory's Term 2 finishes in mid-June, earlier than anywhere else in the country, which makes its mid-year break the longest and the least like everyone else's.
Public holidays during the NT 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 the NT, where every date is checked against the Public Holidays Act 1981 (NT).
Frequently asked questions
When does school go back in the NT?
When are the next school holidays in the NT?
When do the 2027 school terms start and end in the NT?
When are the pupil-free days in the NT?
When are the Easter school holidays in the NT?
Why does the NT mid-year break start so early?
Because Term 2 finishes on 19 June in 2026 and 18 June in 2027, where the rest of the country runs to late June or early July. The Territory’s mid-year break is the earliest and the longest in Australia.
The dry season is the reason usually given, and it has a real effect on travel: Territory families are on holiday for a week before any other state’s schools break up.
When do NT students actually go back?
A day or two after the teachers. The department publishes both dates for every term — in 2026 Term 1 begins on Tuesday 27 January for teachers and Thursday 29 January for students.
The tables here use the student dates throughout. If you are a teacher, or you are trying to reach a school office before term starts, the staff date is the earlier one.
Does every NT school follow the same calendar?
No. Gunbalanya School runs its own flexible year, so a family there should take its dates from the school, not from the table on this page.
The wider gap is between sectors. A household with one child at a government school and another at a Catholic or independent one can have two different first days back in the same week, so check the second school’s own calendar before booking anything.
Verified
Term dates from NT Department of Education and Training, checked . Built for . These are government school dates — confirm with your own school before you book anything.