Western Australia · government schools
No — government schools in Western Australia 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 – 31 January 2027 45 days off, weekends included
- Breaks still to start in 2026
- 1
- Term 1 2027 begins
- Mon 1 Feb Staff go back earlier, on days each school sets — see the rules
- Applies to
- Government schools Catholic and independent set their own
WA 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 45 days off | Thu 17 Dec | Mon 1 Feb |
2027
| Break | Last school day | First day back |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn holidays 17 days off | Fri 9 Apr | Tue 27 Apr |
| Winter holidays 16 days off | Fri 2 Jul | Mon 19 Jul |
| Spring holidays 16 days off | Fri 24 Sep | Mon 11 Oct |
| Summer holidays Back-to-school date not published yet | Thu 16 Dec | Term 1 2028 not published |
Earlier in 2026 — 3 breaks already over
| Break | Last school day | First day back |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn holidays 17 days off | Thu 2 Apr | Mon 20 Apr |
| Winter holidays 16 days off | Fri 3 Jul | Mon 20 Jul |
| Spring holidays 16 days off | Fri 25 Sep | Mon 12 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 | Fri 3 Apr | Sun 19 Apr |
| Winter | Sat 4 Jul | Sun 19 Jul |
| Spring | Sat 26 Sep | Sun 11 Oct |
Term dates
| Term | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | Mon 2 Feb to Thu 2 Apr | Mon 1 Feb to Fri 9 Apr |
| Term 2 | Mon 20 Apr to Fri 3 Jul | Mon 26 Apr to Fri 2 Jul Mon 26 Apr is a public holiday: students start Tue 27 Apr |
| Term 3 | Mon 20 Jul to Fri 25 Sep | Mon 19 Jul to Fri 24 Sep |
| Term 4 | Mon 12 Oct to Thu 17 Dec | Mon 11 Oct to Thu 16 Dec |
Good to know: Western Australia publishes its term dates in the Government Gazette, as it does its public holidays, and sets them six years ahead — further than any other state.
Whose school holidays are these?
The department's calendar is not everybody's calendar
These are the dates for WA public schools. Catholic and independent schools set their own; the department's own note is to check your school's schedule for planned development days.
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. Western Australia calls them school development days.
In Western Australia most of these dates are set school by school
Six a year, and the department publishes none of them: “while three days are scheduled over the Christmas/New Year break, an additional three days are scheduled throughout the school year”. Each school picks its own in consultation with its board or council, so the department's answer is to ask the school.
Six a year, three of them around the Christmas break.
Source: Department of Education (WA), read .
The catches in WA's calendar
Things the dates alone do not tell you
- The department publishes the breaks itself, usually running Saturday to Sunday (the 2026 autumn break starts on Good Friday, 3 April), so its figures include the weekends at both ends.
- For 2027 the department's own note flags that Monday 26 April is expected to be a public holiday for Anzac Day — and its published Term 2 start is that same Monday. Students would return on the Tuesday. Check your school.
Public holidays during the WA 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 WA, where every date is checked against the Public and Bank Holidays Act 1972 (WA).
Frequently asked questions
When does school go back in WA?
When are the next school holidays in WA?
When do the 2027 school terms start and end in WA?
When are the pupil-free days in WA?
When are the Easter school holidays in WA?
Are WA term dates official?
More formally than most. The department states that its term dates for public school students are published in the Western Australian Government Gazette — the same instrument that carries the state’s public holidays.
It also publishes them a long way ahead: dates through to 2032 are already up, the later years marked as preliminary. The Northern Territory publishes as far; Victoria, which fixes its calendar five years at a time by ministerial determination, is close behind.
Does Term 2 2027 really start on a public holiday?
The published date says Monday 26 April, and the department’s own note on the same page says that Monday is expected to be a public holiday for Anzac Day. Both things are on the page.
In practice that means students return on the Tuesday. It is a good example of why this site shows what the source says rather than smoothing it over — and a good reason to confirm the first day back with your school that year rather than trusting any calendar, including this one.
Do WA school holidays line up with the eastern states?
With New South Wales, at the start. In 2026 and 2027 every Western Australian break begins on the same Saturday as the New South Wales one, though NSW students usually go back a day or two later. Victoria is the odd one out: its winter and spring breaks start a week before Western Australia’s.
Add the two-hour time difference and the fact that WA, like Tasmania, has no Easter Saturday public holiday, and a national family calendar needs Perth handled separately rather than assumed.
Verified
Term dates from WA Department of Education, checked . Built for . These are government school dates — confirm with your own school before you book anything.