NT school holidays 2026
Northern Territory government school holidays in 2026: mid-semester 1 break 3 April to 13 April, mid-year break 20 June to 13 July, mid-semester 2 break 19 September to 5 October, summer 11 December to 26 January 2027. Students start Term 1 on Thursday 29 January 2026 (staff from Tuesday 27 January) and finish Term 4 on Thursday 10 December 2026. These dates apply in Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine and across NT.
These are the 2026 dates. NT school holidays 2027
| Period | Starts | Ends | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1Students start Thu 29 Jan9.4 weeks | Tue 27 Jan | Thu 2 Apr | 9.4 weeks |
| Mid-semester 1 breakApril holidays1 week and 4 days | Fri 3 Apr | Mon 13 Apr | 1 week and 4 days |
| Term 2Students start Tue 14 Apr9.7 weeks | Mon 13 Apr | Fri 19 Jun | 9.7 weeks |
| Mid-year breakJune–July holidays3 weeks and 3 days | Sat 20 Jun | Mon 13 Jul | 3 weeks and 3 days |
| Term 3Students start Tue 14 Jul9.7 weeks | Mon 13 Jul | Fri 18 Sep | 9.7 weeks |
| Mid-semester 2 breakSeptember–October holidays2 weeks and 3 days | Sat 19 Sep | Mon 5 Oct | 2 weeks and 3 days |
| Term 4Students start Tue 6 Oct. Students finish Thu 10 Dec9.7 weeks | Mon 5 Oct | Fri 11 Dec | 9.7 weeks |
| Summer holidaysChristmas holidays6 weeks and 5 days | Fri 11 Dec | Tue 26 Jan 2027 | 6 weeks and 5 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
- Northern Territory Government, Department of Education and Training
- 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.
- Tuesday 27 January 2026
- Wednesday 28 January 2026
- Monday 13 April 2026
- Monday 13 July 2026
- Monday 5 October 2026
- Friday 11 December 2026
Public holidays during term
These NT public holidays fall on school days during 2026 terms, so government schools are closed:
- Monday 4 May 2026: May Day
- Monday 8 June 2026: King's Birthday
- Monday 3 August 2026: Picnic Day
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 Northern Territory government schools; Gunbalanya School has its own calendar. Catholic Education NT publishes dates for all its schools. Term end dates match government schools, but students sometimes start a day earlier or later. In 2026, Catholic students return on Monday 13 April and Monday 5 October, a day before government students. Aboriginal Catholic Community Schools start the year on Monday 2 February. Independent schools set their own dates, so check with your school.
Questions
When do the NT school holidays start in 2026?
The first NT school holidays of 2026 run from Friday 3 April to Monday 13 April 2026 (1 week and 4 days), after students finish Term 1 on Thursday 2 April 2026.
When does Term 1 start in NT in 2026?
Term 1 starts on Tuesday 27 January 2026 for staff, and students start on Thursday 29 January 2026. It ends on Thursday 2 April 2026.
When does Term 4 end in NT in 2026?
Term 4 ends on Friday 11 December 2026, and students finish on Thursday 10 December 2026. The summer holidays then run until Tuesday 26 January 2027, 6 weeks and 5 days in all.
Are the NT Easter holidays in 2026 at Easter?
Yes. Easter Sunday is Sunday 5 April 2026, inside the mid-semester 1 break (Friday 3 April to Monday 13 April 2026).
Do Darwin school holidays differ from the rest of NT?
No. Darwin and the rest of the Northern Territory use the same government school term dates. Catholic and independent schools can set their own.
Other years
Source: School term and holiday dates in NT (2026 term dates), Northern Territory Government, Department of Education and Training. Checked 26 October 2026. All official sources.