School terms in South Africa - dates and deadlines
Every school terms date Find SA Status tracks, current and archived, with the official source, the date we last verified it and the next scheduled review.
There are 8 school terms records here: 5 still upcoming and 3 archived. Archived records stay online because "when did that happen" is a real question, but they are clearly marked so nobody plans around a date that has passed.
Last reviewed 2026-10-13 · next scheduled review 2026-10-14
Upcoming and current
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6 Oct – 9 Dec 2026
Confirmed In 55 days2026 school Term 4 (public schools)
The final term of 2026 runs 10 weeks from Tuesday 6 October to Wednesday 9 December for learners. Educators stay on until Friday 11 December for administration and marking. There are no public holidays in term time, giving 47 school days. Grade 12 candidates write the NSC examinations throughout this term.
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13 Jan – 19 Mar 2027
Confirmed In 155 days2027 school Term 1 (public schools)
Term 1 of the 2027 public school year opens on Wednesday 13 January and closes on Friday 19 March. Educators report on Monday 11 January. The term runs 10 weeks and provides 48 school days with no public holidays in term time.
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6 Apr – 25 Jun 2027
Confirmed In 253 days2027 school Term 2 (public schools)
Term 2 of 2027 is the longest term at 12 weeks, running from Tuesday 6 April to Friday 25 June. It contains the special school holiday on 26 April, Freedom Day, Workers' Day and Youth Day, which reduce the scheduled 59 days to 56 actual school days.
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20 Jul – 22 Sep 2027
Confirmed In 342 days2027 school Term 3 (public schools)
Term 3 of 2027 runs for 10 weeks from Tuesday 20 July to Wednesday 22 September, providing 47 days. National Women's Day on Monday 9 August is the only public holiday in this term, giving 46 actual school days.
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5 Oct – 8 Dec 2027
Confirmed In 419 days2027 school Term 4 (public schools)
The final term of 2027 runs 10 weeks from Tuesday 5 October to Wednesday 8 December for learners, with 47 school days. Educators close on Friday 10 December. Grade 12 candidates write the NSC examinations during this term.
Archive
These dates have passed. They are kept for reference - for example to check when a filing season closed in a previous year.
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14 Jan – 27 Mar 2026
Confirmed 202 days ago2026 school Term 1 (public schools)
Term 1 of the 2026 public school year ran for 11 weeks, from Wednesday 14 January to Friday 27 March. Educators reported two days earlier on Monday 12 January for administration. There were no public holidays inside this term, giving 53 scheduled school days.
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8 Apr – 26 Jun 2026
Confirmed 111 days ago2026 school Term 2 (public schools)
Term 2 was the longest term of 2026, running 12 weeks from Wednesday 8 April to Friday 26 June. It contained three public holidays and one special school holiday - Good Friday and Family Day fell before term started, then Freedom Day, Workers' Day, the special holiday on 15 June and Youth Day - cutting 58 scheduled days to 54 actual school days.
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21 Jul – 23 Sep 2026
Confirmed 22 days ago2026 school Term 3 (public schools)
Term 3 of 2026 ran for 10 weeks from Tuesday 21 July to Wednesday 23 September. National Women's Day fell on a Sunday, so Monday 10 August was the public holiday, reducing the 47 scheduled days to 46 actual school days. Term 3 is when the final Grade 12 examination preparations begin.
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