ACT school holidays 2026
Australian Capital Territory government school holidays in 2026: autumn 3 April to 20 April, winter 4 July to 20 July, spring 26 September to 12 October, summer 19 December to 31 January 2027. Students start Term 1 on Friday 30 January 2026 (staff from Thursday 29 January) and finish Term 4 on Friday 18 December 2026. These dates apply in and across ACT.
These are the 2026 dates. ACT school holidays 2027
| Period | Starts | Ends | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1Students start Fri 30 Jan9.1 weeks | Thu 29 Jan | Thu 2 Apr | 9.1 weeks |
| Autumn school holidaysApril holidays2 weeks and 4 days | Fri 3 Apr | Mon 20 Apr | 2 weeks and 4 days |
| Term 2Students start Tue 21 Apr10.7 weeks | Mon 20 Apr | Fri 3 Jul | 10.7 weeks |
| Winter school holidaysJuly holidays2 weeks and 3 days | Sat 4 Jul | Mon 20 Jul | 2 weeks and 3 days |
| Term 3Students start Tue 21 Jul9.7 weeks | Mon 20 Jul | Fri 25 Sep | 9.7 weeks |
| Spring school holidaysSeptember–October holidays2 weeks and 3 days | Sat 26 Sep | Mon 12 Oct | 2 weeks and 3 days |
| Term 4Students start Tue 13 Oct9.7 weeks | Mon 12 Oct | Fri 18 Dec | 9.7 weeks |
| Summer school holidaysChristmas holidays6 weeks and 2 days | Sat 19 Dec | Sun 31 Jan 2027 | 6 weeks and 2 days |
Holidays run from the day after students finish to the day before they return, weekends included. Terms show the department's dates, which can include staff-only days.
- Source
- ACT Government
- Checked
- 26 October 2026
- Status
- Official dates
Pupil-free days in 2026
Schools are open for staff but students don't attend on these days. Days next to a holiday make the break a day longer for children.
- Thursday 29 January 2026
- Monday 20 April 2026
- Monday 20 July 2026
- Monday 12 October 2026
Public holidays during term
These ACT public holidays fall on school days during 2026 terms, so government schools are closed:
- Monday 9 March 2026: Canberra Day
- Monday 27 April 2026: Anzac Day additional day
- Monday 1 June 2026: Reconciliation Day
- Monday 8 June 2026: King's Birthday
2026 calendar
January
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
February
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
March
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
April
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
May
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
June
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
July
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
August
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
September
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
October
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
November
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 |
December
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
School holidaysPublic holiday
Catholic and independent schools
These dates are for ACT public schools, published by the ACT Government. The government notes that private schools may have different dates. Catholic Education (Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn) publishes system-wide dates for ACT Catholic primary schools at cg.catholic.edu.au. These are close to the public school dates but not the same: at the start of the year, Catholic primary students all start on the same day as returning public school students (after public school new starters), and some terms end a day earlier (in 2026, Term 2 ends 2 July and Term 4 ends 17 December, against 3 July and 18 December for public schools). ACT Catholic secondary colleges and independent schools set their own dates, so check with your school.
Questions
When do the ACT school holidays start in 2026?
The first ACT school holidays of 2026 run from Friday 3 April to Monday 20 April 2026 (2 weeks and 4 days), after students finish Term 1 on Thursday 2 April 2026.
When does Term 1 start in ACT in 2026?
Term 1 starts on Thursday 29 January 2026 for staff, and students start on Friday 30 January 2026. It ends on Thursday 2 April 2026.
When does Term 4 end in ACT in 2026?
Term 4 ends on Friday 18 December 2026. The summer holidays then run until Sunday 31 January 2027, 6 weeks and 2 days in all.
Are the ACT Easter holidays in 2026 at Easter?
Yes. Easter Sunday is Sunday 5 April 2026, inside the autumn school holidays (Friday 3 April to Monday 20 April 2026).
Do Canberra school holidays differ from the rest of ACT?
No. Canberra and the rest of the Australian Capital Territory use the same government school term dates. Catholic and independent schools can set their own.
Other years
Source: Public holidays, school terms and daylight saving - ACT public school term dates, ACT Government. Checked 26 October 2026. All official sources.