UAE school calendar 2025–2026: key holiday dates parents should know

Dubai: UAE schools are back in session following the winter break. As students return to the classroom and parents navigate important new changes, the question on everyone’s minds is: When are all the UAE school holidays?

Following the four-week winter break from December 8, 2025 to January 4, 2026, schools resumed on Monday, January 5, 2026.

In 2025, the UAE introduced a unified school calendar to cover public and private schools. The calendar was approved by the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council (EHCD) and the Ministry of Education (MoE).

The unified calendar standardises dates for the start of the academic year, the end of all the three terms and term breaks across the emirates.

December 8, 2025–January 4, 2026: Winter break / Term 1 break

February 11, 2026–February 15, 2026: Mid-term break

March 16, 2026–March 29, 2026: Spring break and Eid Al Fitr holiday / Term 2 break

(Sharjah private schools resume on March 23, 2026)

May 25, 2026–May 26, 2026: Mid-term break and Eid Al Adha holiday

July 4, 2026: Summer break / Term 3 break  

Term 1: 3 holidays (including Eid Al Etihad/UAE National Day, and Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday)

Term 2: 0 holidays

Term 3: 5 holidays (including Eid Al Adha and Hijri/Islamic New Year)

The Ministry of Education has allowed private schools that do not follow the government curriculum to schedule mid-term breaks, subject to specific conditions.

Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha dates will be confirmed by The United Arab Emirates Council for Fatwa. According to current astronomical predictions, Eid Al Fitr is currently expected to begin on Friday, March 20, which coincides with the spring break.

The exact date for the beginning of Ramadan 2026 will precede the Eid Al Fitr 2026 holiday confirmation.