DubaiSchoolGuide.com

Official calendar · checked 14 September 2026

Dubai school term dates 2026-27

The academic calendar is issued by the UAE Government, and KHDA requires every private school in Dubai to abide by it. Two versions run side by side - one for schools starting in September, one for the April-start schools on the Indian calendar. Below are KHDA’s own dates, and a link to the dated calendar your school has filed with KHDA, which is the only one that shows its own extra days.

Schools whose academic year starts in September

Most British, American, IB and MoE-curriculum schools. Minimum school days required: 185.

Schools whose academic year starts in September: the dates KHDA publishes
DateWhat KHDA’s calendar says
31 August 2026Start of academic year
12 October 2026Start of the first mid-term break (for MOE Private Schools only)
19 October 2026Resumption of classes after the first mid-term break
14 December 2026Start of winter break - All schools
4 January 2027Resumption of classes after winter break - All schools
5 April 2027Start of spring break - All schools
12 April 2027Resumption of classes after spring break - All schools
2 July 2027End of academic year

Schools whose academic year starts in April

Indian-calendar schools. Minimum school days required: 182.

Schools whose academic year starts in April: the dates KHDA publishes
DateWhat KHDA’s calendar says
6 April 2026Start of academic year
6 July 2026Start of summer break
31 August 2026Resumption of classes after summer break
14 December 2026Start of winter break
4 January 2027Resumption of classes after winter break
15 March 2027 - 31 March 2027End of academic year
March 2027, subject to the school fulfilling the stipulated number of school days.

In KHDA’s words. “The academic calendar is issued by the UAE Government and all private schools in Dubai must abide by the dates specified in the approved academic calendar. This includes the start and end of academic year, as well as the winter, spring, and summer break holidays and tentatively communicate public holidays. In addition to meeting the minimum number of school days required.” - KHDA, Academic Calendar for Dubai’s Private Schools, retrieved 14 September 2026.

The October break - read this one if your school is British

The two published sources do not sit comfortably together, so we give you both rather than pick one. KHDA’s calendar marks the 12 October mid-term break “for MOE Private Schools only”, with classes resuming on 19 October. Gulf News reported on 4 September 2026 that KHDA “reminds all private schools in Dubai to adhere to the unified academic calendar dates issued by the Ministry of Education”, that the October break moved a week forward to 12-16 October, and that some schools - British-curriculum ones in particular - had previously listed 19-23 October; the same report says schools following alternative curricula, such as the Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi systems, are exempt from the unified calendar. Your school’s own KHDA calendar is what governs your child’s week. If it still shows the old dates, ask the school in writing which applies.

Public holidays inside the school year

Only one public holiday in this school year has a fixed date: National Day (Eid Al Etihad), 2-3 December 2026, as listed by the UAE Government’s official platform. New Year’s Day, 1 January 2027, falls inside the winter break for every school. The rest are Islamic holidays, set by the Hijri calendar and confirmed by moon sighting: Eid Al Fitr (1-3 Shawwal), Arafah Day (9 Dhu Al Hijjah), Eid Al Adha (10-12 Dhu Al Hijjah), Hijri New Year (1 Muharram) and the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday (12 Rabi’ Awwal). Their 2027 dates in the Gregorian calendar are not yet announced, so we do not print any. What can be said safely is the month: Ramadan begins in February 2027, Eid Al Fitr falls in March 2027, and Eid Al Adha in May 2027 - during term for every school. School hours change during Ramadan; that is covered on a day at a Dubai school.

KHDA’s own school calendars label public holidays “Tentative and subject to official government announcements”. Do not book flights against a holiday that has not been confirmed by the UAE Government.

Why schools cannot simply add days off

The calendar sets a floor: 185 school days for September-start schools and 182 for April-start schools. An April-start school’s year ends between 15 and 31 March 2027 “subject to the school fulfilling the stipulated number of school days”, which is why two Indian-curriculum schools can finish on different dates and both be compliant. A school adding its own days off - an in-service day, a long weekend, an exam closure - still has to meet that total.

Your school’s own calendar, from KHDA

KHDA publishes a dated, month-by-month calendar for every licensed school, showing its term dates, its own holidays and its staff professional-development days. That is the document to plan around, and it is the school’s filing, not ours. Every school in this register links to its own below.

All 228 schools - each one’s official KHDA calendar

KHDA publishes no calendar page for Dubai Arabian American Private School and Harrow International School Dubai, because they are not in its online directory - the reason is on each school’s own page here. Ask them for the calendar directly.

What we deliberately don’t publish. We do not list individual schools’ half-terms, in-service days or exam closures. Schools file those with KHDA individually and change them during the year, so any copy we kept here would be wrong for someone. The link to your school’s KHDA calendar above is the authoritative one, and if you find it out of date, tell us and we will chase it.

Sources

Next: what a school day actually looks like, when to apply, or the register of every school.

Tell me when this changes

Inspection results, fee changes, schools opening and closing - emailed when they happen, which is rarely. No marketing, no lists sold, unsubscribe in one click.

← Browse the guide