Istanbul school holidays 2026: term dates and calendar

Turkey public holidays in Istanbul 2026

Every school in Istanbul, Turkish or international, closes on Turkey's national public holidays, and the two religious bayram holidays close them as well. Several of these fall during term time in 2026 and shape the long-weekend calendar:

The bayram dates follow the Islamic lunar calendar, so they move earlier each year and are confirmed officially shortly before they fall. Ramadan begins around 15 February 2026, which means the school day is not formally shortened by the state but many families adjust evening routines. When a bayram lands next to a weekend the government often bridges the gap into a longer public holiday, and schools follow the official decision.

MEB term dates 2025-26 and 2026-27

Turkish state and private schools in Istanbul work to the two-semester MEB calendar, with an autumn mid-term break, a two-week semester break in winter, and a one-week spring mid-term break. The confirmed 2025-26 dates are:

The 2026-27 MEB calendar is not yet published in full; on the pattern of recent years the new year is expected to open in the second week of September 2026, with the first mid-term break in mid-November. We will update these dates once the Ministry confirms them, so treat the 2026-27 start as indicative for now. The spring mid-term break in 2026 sits next to Ramazan Bayrami, which gives families a useful run of days for travel.

International school term dates

Istanbul has a deep international sector spread across British, IB and American curricula, alongside long-established national-system schools run by the German, French, Italian and Austrian communities. These schools teach a northern-hemisphere September to June year, so the broad rhythm matches the MEB calendar, but the detail differs in three ways. The winter break is usually longer, typically two to three weeks across Christmas and New Year rather than the late-January MEB semester break. The spring break is tied to Easter, which in 2026 falls in early April, rather than the March mid-term. And the national-system schools follow their home-country dates closely, so a child at the German school in Istanbul will see a calendar that looks like Baden-Wurttemberg more than it looks like the MEB.

For families moving mid-year, the practical point is that an international school place and a Turkish private school place will not have identical holidays, so coordinate travel around whichever calendar your child is actually on. To compare programmes before you choose, see our curriculum guides, and for the national picture our Turkey schools guide sets out how the sectors fit together. Bilingual Turkish-English schools sit between the two, generally following the MEB framework while adding their own enrichment days.

Planning the year

Three practical notes for Istanbul families. First, the long summer holiday from late June means peak travel on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts and the highest flight prices to Europe; book the July departures by spring. Second, the two religious bayram holidays move earlier each year, so the spring shape of the calendar shifts noticeably between 2026 and 2027, which matters if you are planning a multi-year posting. Third, the school year for international schools begins in late August, several days before the MEB start, so settle uniform, transport and the first fee instalment in good time. For the wider context on districts and commute, our Istanbul city guide covers where school-age families settle on both the European and Asian sides.

Common questions

When do schools break up in Istanbul? Turkish schools finish the 2025-26 year for students after lessons on Friday 26 June 2026. Shorter breaks fall in November, late January and March; the bayram holidays close every school.

How long is the summer holiday in Istanbul? Around eleven weeks, from late June to early September. International schools break a little earlier in June and return in late August.

When does the 2026 school year start in Istanbul? The MEB year is expected to open in the second week of September 2026; international schools reopen in late August. The 2026-27 dates are indicative until the Ministry confirms them.

Do Ramadan and the bayram holidays change the calendar? The two bayram holidays close all schools. In 2026 Eid al-Fitr falls around 20 to 22 March and Eid al-Adha around 27 to 30 May, with exact dates confirmed shortly before.

Related guides

• Istanbul city guide
• Turkey schools guide
• London school holidays 2026