Bangalore school holidays 2026: term dates calendar

India public holidays 2026 in Bangalore

Bangalore schools close on national gazetted holidays and on the Karnataka state festival holidays. The fixed national dates are firm; the festival dates follow the lunar and regional calendar and shift each year, so treat them as indicative until your school confirms them.

The Karnataka school education department publishes a model holiday list each year that all government, aided and recognised private schools broadly follow, so private and CBSE schools observe the same gazetted dates with minor local variation.

Karnataka and CBSE term dates 2025-26 and 2026-27

Karnataka state board schools and most CBSE and ICSE schools in Bangalore, including those clustered in Whitefield, Electronic City, Koramangala, Indiranagar and Sarjapur Road, work to an academic year that opens after the summer break and closes in spring. The headline pattern for 2026 is below.

Exact reopening and vacation dates vary by board and by school within a window of a week or two, and festival breaks move with the lunar calendar. Confirm with your school's published calendar before booking travel.

International school term dates

This is where Bangalore differs most from the local pattern. International schools in the city, which deliver the IB and British curricula to expat and globally mobile families, run a northern-hemisphere academic year rather than the Karnataka one:

• The year opens in mid-August and closes in mid-June, the opposite anchor points to state and CBSE schools.
• Terms are broken by an October half term that overlaps with Dasara, a two to three week winter break around Christmas, and a spring break in late March or April.
• IB Diploma schools add a May exam window that shapes the final term for Grade 12.

For families with one child in an international school and another in a CBSE school, the two calendars only partly overlap, so expect mismatched breaks across the year. To understand how each programme structures its terms see our curriculum guides, and for the national context our India country hub.

Planning the year

Three practical notes for Bangalore families. First, the summer break for local schools falls in April and May, the hottest stretch before the monsoon, which is when many families travel to cooler hill stations or overseas; international school families instead travel from mid-June. Second, Dasara in October is the cultural high point of the Karnataka year and the longest festive break, so flights and trains around it sell out early. Third, fee instalments for international schools usually fall at the start of each term in August, January and April, while local schools bill around the June reopening; plan cash flow accordingly. Our Bangalore international school fees guide breaks down the tiers and timing.

Common questions

When do schools break up in Bangalore for summer? Karnataka, CBSE and ICSE schools close in the second half of April and reopen in late May or early June. International schools break up in mid-June.

How long is the summer holiday in Bangalore? Around five to six weeks for local schools, and about eight weeks for international schools on the August to June calendar.

When does the 2026 school year start in Bangalore? Karnataka and CBSE schools begin in late May or early June 2026; international schools start in mid-August 2026.

When is the Dasara holiday in 2026? Around early to mid October, with Vijayadashami near 20 October. Festival dates follow the lunar calendar, so confirm with your school.

Do international schools follow the Karnataka calendar? No. They run an August to June northern-hemisphere year, though all schools observe national gazetted holidays.

Related guides

• Bangalore international school fees
• Bangalore city guide
• India country guide