As students nationwide return from their winter break, the UAE’s unified 2025-2026 school calendar is now in full effect. With standardised dates for term resumption, spring and mid-term breaks, and a clear end-of-year timeline, families have a roadmap for planning holidays, travel and academic commitments throughout the remainder of the academic year.
As the winter break comes to an end and students return to classrooms across the UAE, parents, educators and students are taking stock of the school calendar for the remainder of the 2025-2026 academic year. The updated national calendar — approved by the UAE Ministry of Education and educational councils — is designed to bring consistency to term dates, breaks and mid-year pauses across all emirates, helping families plan more effectively for travel, study and family time.
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For the first time, the UAE has implemented a unified school calendar that applies to both public and private schools nationwide. This unified structure ensures that all institutions — regardless of emirate — follow the same schedule for term starts, breaks and year-end closures. This alignment aims to reduce confusion for families with children in different schools, and helps community events, transport services and tourism sectors synchronise their activities.
Under the unified calendar, the academic year runs from late August 2025 through early July 2026, punctuated by several breaks designed to balance academic work with rest and recovery.
After a four-week winter break, students and teachers returned to school on January 5, 2026. The winter break — one of the longest pauses in the year — ran from December 8, 2025, through January 4, 2026, giving families ample time to travel, visit relatives, or enjoy local events during the holiday season.
The extended winter holiday was designed to give students and staff a solid rest midway through the academic year and to coincide with important cultural and seasonal events. Schools subsequently resumed classes promptly, launching into the second term with a focus on academic enrichment and progress after the festive period.
Second Term and Spring Break
The second academic term will lead up to a spring break scheduled from March 16 to March 29, 2026, with schools reopening for classes on March 30. Students in private schools in Sharjah return slightly earlier, starting on March 23 following the break. This spring pause gives families a chance to plan early-year holidays or rest before the final stretch of the school year.
The introduction of strategically placed breaks such as spring break reflects a broader education strategy aimed at reducing continuous academic pressure and boosting student well-being throughout the year.
A notable feature of the unified calendar is the inclusion of mid-term breaks in addition to the major seasonal holidays. These shorter breaks are designed to offer students and teachers regular intervals to recharge between more intensive learning blocks and to sustain focus and motivation across the school year.
Two main mid-term breaks are scheduled for schools that follow the government curriculum:
The mid-term pause in February provides a buffer midway through the second term, while the break in May coincides with important cultural festivities, enabling families to observe celebrations and spend meaningful time together.
Importantly, these mid-term breaks are not automatically applied to all private schools — particularly those not following the government curriculum. Instead, those schools may schedule their own short breaks in the same months, provided they do not exceed the approved time frames or extend beyond specified months. This approach preserves flexibility while keeping the broader calendar aligned.
Although the unified academic calendar now applies broadly across the UAE, Indian curriculum schools were granted some flexibility, given the timing of international board exams such as those from the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). These schools typically begin their academic year in April and are allowed to align their start dates with exam schedules and curriculum requirements, while still anchoring their calendars within the approved semester framework.
This accommodation allows Indian curriculum schools to balance national scheduling priorities with international academic obligations, particularly for students preparing for major exams.
The final term of the academic year begins after the spring hiatus and runs up to July 3, 2026. This end-of-year date applies to most schools, although some private institutions in Sharjah conclude a day earlier.
School leaders are emphasising that the calendar’s structure — with well-spaced breaks and clear end-of-year timing — is designed to maximise learning while respecting family time, cultural observances, and student health.
The push toward a unified national school calendar stemmed from the desire to bring greater predictability and consistency to the UAE’s rapidly evolving education landscape. With both public and private schools now following a common structure, families with children in different schools can plan better for travel, holidays, exams and after-school activities.
Educational authorities have highlighted several benefits of the unified calendar:
By spreading out the breaks — with a mid-year winter hiatus, a spring break and shorter mid-term pauses — the calendar creates regular rest points without compressing too much instruction into congested timeframes. Schools are also encouraged to maintain full teaching days, finishing assessments and curriculum content before breaks begin.
With winter break behind them, parents are advised to:
