Northern Territory · government schools
No — Northern Territory government schools are in Term 3.
Tuesday 8 September 2026. Term 3 runs to Fri 18 Sep.
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.
Saturday
19September 2026
Spring holidays begin
in 11 days- Last day of this term
- Fri 18 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 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
NT 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 14 Apr | 11 |
| Winter holidays | Fri 19 Jun | Tue 14 Jul | 24 |
| Spring holidays | Fri 18 Sep | Tue 6 Oct | 17 |
| Summer holidays | Thu 10 Dec | Wed 27 Jan | 47 |
Term dates
| Term | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Thu 29 Jan – Thu 2 Apr | Wed 27 Jan – Fri 2 Apr |
| Term 2 | Tue 14 Apr – Fri 19 Jun | Tue 13 Apr – Fri 18 Jun |
| Term 3 | Tue 14 Jul – Fri 18 Sep | Tue 13 Jul – Fri 17 Sep |
| Term 4 | Tue 6 Oct – Thu 10 Dec | Tue 5 Oct – Thu 9 Dec |
The catches in 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 NT, where every date is checked against Public Holidays Act 1981 (NT).
Frequently asked questions
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 while southern schools are still sitting exams, which is why June flights out of Darwin fill before anyone else has broken 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 operates on a flexible school year with its own dates, set through separate consultations, and the Territory-wide calendar simply does not describe it.
The department is also unusually direct about the sector question: its own page tells parents that if their child attends a non-government school, they should check the term dates with the school. That is the sentence most calendar sites leave out.
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.