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The Israeli school year is set nationally by the Ministry of Education and applies to Tel Aviv along with the rest of the country. Because the festivals that drive the breaks follow the lunisolar Hebrew calendar, their civil dates move from year to year, and observances begin the evening before the date shown. The 2026 dates below are the confirmed festival dates; the exact school-closure windows around them can vary by a day or two between schools. Our Tel Aviv city guide sets the wider context.
Tel Aviv festival and holiday dates 2026
Tel Aviv state schools close for the major festivals on the Jewish calendar and for Independence Day. The dates below fall within the 2025-26 school year (January to June 2026); festivals such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot return in September and October 2026 at the start of the next school year. Tel Aviv observes the standard one-day Purim, a day earlier than walled Jerusalem.
| Festival or holiday | Date(s) 2026 |
|---|---|
| Purim (Tel Aviv) | Tuesday 3 March |
| Passover (Pesach), first day | Thursday 2 April (seder eve 1 April) |
| Passover, seventh day | Wednesday 8 April |
| Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron) | Tuesday 21 April |
| Independence Day (Yom Ha'atzmaut) | Wednesday 22 April |
| Lag BaOmer | Friday 5 May |
| Shavuot | Friday 22 May |
Independence Day and the Memorial Day that precedes it are fixed in the spring; in 2026 they fall on 22 and 21 April. Note that because each observance starts at sundown the previous evening, schools often close from midday on the eve. Religious and secular schools handle the days around the festivals slightly differently, so confirm with your school.
School year 2025-26 term and break dates
Israel does not split the year into named terms in the British sense; it runs continuous teaching from 1 September broken by the festival vacations. The table sets out the framework for the 2025-26 year as it runs through 2026 and into the summer. The Passover break is the longest spring vacation and is usually wider than the festival week itself.
| Period | Dates |
|---|---|
| School year opens (2025-26) | Monday 1 September 2025 |
| Hanukkah break | Around 14 to 22 December 2025 (school days vary) |
| Purim break | Around 3 to 4 March 2026 |
| Passover (Pesach) break | Indicative: late March to 8 April 2026 (school dates vary) |
| Independence Day period | 21 to 22 April 2026 |
| Shavuot | 22 May 2026 |
| Summer break begins (secondary) | Around 20 June 2026 |
| Summer break begins (primary) | 1 July 2026 |
| School year opens (2026-27) | Tuesday 1 September 2026 |
The 1 September opening and the summer break are the fixed anchors of the Israeli year. The exact length of the Hanukkah and Passover school vacations is set by the Ministry of Education each year and can differ between primary and secondary schools, so the dates above for those two breaks are indicative and should be confirmed against your school's published calendar before booking travel.
Building your Tel Aviv school shortlist?
Tel Aviv has a strong state system alongside international and bilingual schools serving diplomatic and expatriate families. Our school finder filters by curriculum and fee tier.
International school term dates
International schools in Tel Aviv diverge from the state calendar in an important way. The state system is built around the Jewish festival year and the fixed 1 September start, with the long break in high summer. International schools serving expatriate and diplomatic families, such as those offering the International Baccalaureate or an American or British curriculum, run their own northern-hemisphere structure: they usually begin in late August, divide the year into two semesters or three terms, and take a two-week winter break in late December and a spring break that may or may not line up with Passover. They still close for the major Israeli national days, including Independence Day and Memorial Day, but their autumn and winter breaks rarely match the state-school festival vacations to the day. The practical result is that a child in an international school and a neighbour in a state school can be on holiday in completely different weeks. Our curriculum guide explains how each system shapes the year and its exam seasons.
Planning the year
Two practical notes for Tel Aviv families. First, the spring is dense with festivals: Purim in early March, the long Passover break in early April, then Independence Day and Shavuot in quick succession, so the stretch from March to late May has frequent short closures that are easy to overlook when planning work and travel. Second, the summer break is long and hot, and domestic and outbound flights peak from late June, so book early if you plan to travel. Families weighing schools alongside the calendar can start a shortlist from the Tel Aviv city hub and compare systems in our curriculum guide.
Common questions
When do schools break up for summer in Tel Aviv? High schools finish around 20 June 2026 and primary schools on 1 July 2026, under the Ministry of Education calendar. All state schools reopen on 1 September 2026.
How long is the summer holiday in Tel Aviv? It is the longest break of the year. Primary pupils get roughly two months, 1 July to 31 August 2026, while older students who finish in late June get a little longer.
When does the 2026 school year start in Tel Aviv? Israeli state schools always open on 1 September, so the 2026-27 year begins on Tuesday 1 September 2026.
When is the Passover break in 2026? Passover falls from 2 to 8 April 2026, with the seder on the evening of 1 April. The school break is longer than the festival, typically late March to around 8 April, though exact dates vary by school.
Do Tel Aviv schools close for Jewish festivals? Yes, for Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover and Shavuot, and for Independence Day. Because these follow the Hebrew calendar, the civil dates move each year.