Sydney school holidays 2026: term dates and calendar

NSW public holidays in Sydney 2026

Sydney schools close on NSW public holidays. Several fall during the school terms in 2026 and shape the long-weekend calendar:

Australia Day in late January usually lands in the final week of the summer holiday, just before Term 1 begins. The Easter cluster and Anzac Day fall close together in April, near the change from Term 1 to Term 2, which is why the autumn school holiday sits right after Easter.

NSW public school term dates 2026

Sydney is in the NSW Eastern Division. The Department of Education sets first and last days for students, with several school development days for staff at the start of each year. The 2026 student dates are:

Teachers return ahead of students on school development days, which in 2026 sit at the very start of the year in late January. The summer holiday is around six weeks, shorter than the northern-hemisphere summer, but it falls across the warmest part of the year and the festive season.

Independent and international school term dates

Unlike Gulf or European cities, Sydney does not run a large northern-hemisphere international sector. Almost every school in the city, public, Catholic, independent and international, follows the Australian January to December year, so a relocating family does not face the calendar split common in Dubai or Sao Paulo. Independent schools that are members of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW set their own term dates, which typically start a few days before the public schools in late January and finish a week or so earlier in early December, with the same four-term shape and slightly longer breaks between terms.

International schools in Sydney, such as the German International School Sydney and the International French School, teach a national curriculum but run it on the southern-hemisphere Australian calendar rather than their home-country one, so their term dates stay close to the NSW pattern. Schools offering the International Baccalaureate also sit on the Jan to Dec year. The headline for parents is reassuring: whichever sector you choose in Sydney, the holidays will broadly line up. To compare programmes, see our curriculum guides, and for the wider national view our Australia schools guide.

Planning the year

Three practical notes for Sydney families. First, school fees at independent and international schools are billed by term, four times a year, with the first and largest invoice due before the late-January start; our Sydney international school fees guide gives the ranges. Second, the long summer holiday across December and January is peak domestic travel season on the east coast, so coastal accommodation and flights to and from Europe over Christmas need booking months ahead. Third, the cooler winter holiday in July is the natural window for northern-hemisphere family visits and sits outside the European school break, which can make long-haul fares better value. For the wider context, our Sydney city guide covers where school-age families settle.

Common questions

When do schools break up in Sydney? NSW public school students finish the 2026 year on Thursday 17 December, the start of the summer holiday. Shorter breaks fall between each term in April, July and late September.

How long is the summer holiday in Sydney? Around six weeks. In 2026-27 it runs from Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027.

When does the 2026 school year start in Sydney? NSW public school students returned for Term 1 on Monday 2 February 2026, on a January to December year.

Do international schools in Sydney follow a different calendar? Mostly no. Almost all Sydney schools follow the Australian January to December year, so holidays line up across sectors.

Related guides

• Sydney international school fees
• Sydney city guide
• London school holidays 2026