When Do School Holidays Start in 2026? Every State and Territory

Published 20/08/2026

Government school term dates are set independently by each state and territory’s education department — there’s no national calendar — so « when do school holidays start » genuinely has eight different answers in 2026. Term 1 alone starts anywhere from 27 January (Queensland) to 5 February (Tasmania), a nine-day spread.

Here’s when government-school students start and finish each term in every state and territory in 2026, sourced from each jurisdiction’s own education department.

2026 government school term dates, by state (student start – end)
State/territory	Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Term 4
New South Wales	2 Feb – 2 Apr	22 Apr – 3 Jul	21 Jul – 25 Sep	13 Oct – 17 Dec
Victoria	28 Jan – 2 Apr	20 Apr – 26 Jun	13 Jul – 18 Sep	5 Oct – 18 Dec
Queensland	27 Jan – 25 Mar	12 Apr – 25 Jun	12 Jul – 17 Sep	5 Oct – 10 Dec
Western Australia	2 Feb – 2 Apr	20 Apr – 3 Jul	20 Jul – 25 Sep	12 Oct – 17 Dec
South Australia	27 Jan – 10 Apr	27 Apr – 3 Jul	20 Jul – 25 Sep	12 Oct – 11 Dec
Tasmania	5 Feb – 17 Apr	4 May – 10 Jul	27 Jul – 2 Oct	19 Oct – 18 Dec
ACT	2 Feb – 2 Apr	21 Apr – 3 Jul	21 Jul – 25 Sep	13 Oct – 18 Dec
Northern Territory	29 Jan – 2 Apr	14 Apr – 19 Jun	14 Jul – 18 Sep	6 Oct – 10 Dec

A few things worth knowing before you book anything around these dates:

Tasmania runs the shortest Term 2 nationally (4 May – 10 Jul) and starts Term 1 the latest of any state (5 February) — its calendar is genuinely shaped differently from the mainland’s, not just shifted by a few days.
South Australia’s Term 1 is the longest, running all the way to 10 April — nearly two and a half months without a break.
These are government (public) school dates. Independent and Catholic systems in most states set their own calendars, usually close to but not identical to the government dates above — always confirm with your child’s specific school.
Dates shown are student attendance dates; teachers typically start 1–2 days earlier for professional development, which doesn’t change when the holidays fall for families.

Full detail for your state

Each hub below has every term boundary plus the exact public holidays that land during term time:

Planning a family trip around the holidays? Check whether your dates line up with a public holiday too, or see the full calendar for school terms, public holidays and long weekends together in one view.