UAE's 3-year school calendar explained: Later start, shorter winter break

Shorter winter break, a later start to the academic year, are part of the new changes the UAE's Ministry of Education has introduced for the new academic calendar for the next three years.

The ministry has unveiled school calendars for the 2026-2027, 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 academic years, offering families and schools longer-term clarity than in previous cycles.

The updated schedule includes a shifted spring break, revised mid-term breaks, reduced winter break of three weeks instead of four, and an adjusted start date for the academic year. The new three-year plan shows the UAE's push to build a more stable, student‑friendly school system that supports learning, wellbeing, and the social needs of students.

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Here's a breakdown of the key changes for the 2026-2027 cycle:

1. Start and end of academic year in UAE

The academic year in the UAE will start slightly later in 2026-2027 compared to the previous cycle. In 2025-2026, schools opened on August 25, 2025, and scheduled to close on July 3, 2026.

For 2026-2027, the academic year will begin on August 31, 2026, and end on July 2, 2027.

What's the difference?

The new academic year starts six days later than last year and ends one day earlier. The shift offers a marginally longer summer break before the academic year begins.

2: Has the winter break changed in UAE?

The UAE has adjusted its winter break schedule. Students had a four‑week holiday from December 8, 2025, to January 4, 2026. This marked a shift from the previous three‑week winter break to an extended four‑week break for students.

For 2026–2027, the break is shorter and begins later, running from December 14, 2026, to January 3, 2027, with students resuming classes on January 4.

What’s the difference?

This means the winter break in 2026–2027 is slightly reduced in length compared to the previous year. It also begins later in December, pushing instructional time further into Term 1 before the holiday.

3. What about mid-term breaks?

For mid‑term breaks, the schedule change is minimal between the two academic years. In 2025-2026, schools had two mid‑terms — one from October 13-19, 2025, and another from February 11-15, 2026.

For 2026-2027, only the Term 1 mid‑term has been announced so far, running from October 12-18, 2026.

What's the difference:

This means the October break remains almost identical in timing, still falling in mid‑October, while no February mid‑term has been specified yet.

However, no February mid-term break has been specified yet for 2026–2027 in the released breakdown, unlike the structured two mid-terms announced last year.

Notably, local education authorities may permit private schools under their ambit, which do not follow the MoE curriculum—to split the break between October and February, as long as the total does not exceed five school days and fits the schools’ operational requirements.

4. When is spring break for schools in UAE?

The spring break has shifted in the new academic cycle. In 2025-2026 calendar, students have a two‑week break from March 16-29, 2026, although Sharjah private schools resumed earlier on March 23.

For 2026-2027, the spring break is shorter, just one week, from April 5-11, 2027, with classes resuming on April 12.

What’s the difference:

This means the spring holiday not only becomes shorter but also moved from mid-March (two weeks) to early April (one week). Therefore, the break is shorter in 2026–2027 and is scheduled later in the academic term.

5. Is the structure becoming more stable over multiple years?

Unlike last year’s announcement, which focused on a single academic year (2025–2026), the Ministry has now released a three-year roadmap (2026–2029).

This signals greater long-term predictability, improved planning for schools and parents and a move toward system-wide stability.

The Ministry has positioned this within its broader commitment to building a “stable and sustainable education system” that balances instructional time and student wellbeing.

6. How are private and Indian curriculum schools affected?

Last year, the MoE clarified that all UAE schools must follow unified start and end dates, while Indian curriculum schools, aligned with exams such as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), retain flexibility in internal term structuring.

For 2026–2027 onward, this broader framework is expected to continue — unified academic boundaries with curriculum-level flexibility inside those dates.

The MoE reiterates that the new academic calendar does not apply to private schools following alternative curricula, such as Indian, Bangladeshi, or Pakistani.