On this page
The international school year in 2026
Most expat families in Beijing choose international schools, and these run a northern-hemisphere year rather than the local two-semester calendar. The 2026 to 2027 year starts in mid to late August 2026 and finishes in mid June 2027, giving a longer summer of roughly ten weeks from mid June, shifted earlier than the local break. Within that year, the British and IB schools, such as Dulwich College Beijing, the British School of Beijing in Shunyi and Yew Chung, use a three-term structure with October and spring breaks, while the American schools, such as the International School of Beijing and Western Academy of Beijing, use two semesters with a fall break and a winter break. For the wider picture of schools and stages, see our international schools in Beijing directory, and for the detailed term and holiday tables our full Beijing school holidays 2026 calendar.
Statutory holidays that close every school
Whichever calendar a school follows, China’s statutory public holidays close every school in the city, and the State Council confirmed the 2026 schedule in November 2025. The dates that matter most for families are below.
| Holiday | Dates 2026 |
|---|---|
| New Year | Thursday 1 January to Saturday 3 January |
| Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) | Sunday 15 February to Monday 23 February |
| Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping) | Saturday 4 April to Monday 6 April |
| Labour Day | Friday 1 May to Tuesday 5 May |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Friday 19 June to Sunday 21 June |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Friday 25 September to Sunday 27 September |
| National Day Golden Week | Thursday 1 October to Wednesday 7 October |
The 2026 Spring Festival break is nine days, the longest in the modern calendar, and international schools build at least the statutory Spring Festival week and the National Day Golden Week into their own calendars. Several Saturdays around the longer breaks are designated make-up working days, so confirm whether your school treats them as teaching days.
How the local calendar differs
If you are comparing an international place with a local or bilingual school, the calendars diverge. Local Beijing schools, set by the Municipal Education Commission, run a two-semester year: an autumn semester from around 1 September to mid January, a winter vacation of three to four weeks around the Spring Festival, a spring semester to early July, and an eight-week summer to the end of August. International schools instead finish in mid June and restart in late August. The detailed 2025 to 2026 winter and 2026 to 2027 dates had not all been published at the time of writing, so treat the local winter and September figures as indicative. Our full Beijing school holidays 2026 guide carries the local term tables alongside the international patterns.
Choosing a school in Beijing?
Local and international schools in Beijing keep very different calendars. The school finder filters Beijing schools by curriculum, district and stage.
Use the school finderPlanning the 2026 year
Three practical points for families planning the international school year in Beijing. First, the Spring Festival week in February is the single busiest travel period in China, so book domestic and outbound flights months ahead or plan to stay in the city while it empties out. Second, international school fees are usually billed by semester, and the late-August restart is when the larger invoice falls; our guide to international school fees in Beijing covers the tiers and timing. Third, the National Day Golden Week in early October coincides with peak travel prices, so the October half term at international schools, falling just before or after, is often a better-value window. IB and A-level examinations run through May, overlapping the Labour Day holiday, so senior families should check for any clash before booking travel. Families with younger children can also see stage-specific timing in our Beijing primary schools guide.
Beijing school holidays 2026: FAQ
Beijing international schools run a northern-hemisphere year, starting in mid to late August 2026 and finishing in mid June, with the IB and British schools using three terms and the American schools two semesters. This differs from local Beijing schools, which run a two-semester year built around the Spring Festival. For the full date tables see our Beijing school holidays 2026 calendar.
The 2026 Spring Festival falls on 15 to 23 February, the longest break in the modern calendar at nine statutory days. Every school in Beijing, local and international, closes for at least the statutory Spring Festival week, and local schools take a longer winter vacation around it. This is the single busiest travel week in China, so plan early.
International schools follow an August to June year with a longer summer of roughly ten weeks from mid June, while local schools run September to early July with an eight-week summer and a long winter vacation around the Spring Festival. Both build in China's statutory public holidays, including the National Day Golden Week in early October.
China's National Day Golden Week runs from 1 to 7 October 2026 and closes every Beijing school. International schools usually schedule an October half term around it. It is a peak domestic travel week, so the school break either side can be a better value window for family travel.
Exact term dates are set by each school and, for local schools, by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, and the detailed 2026 to 2027 dates were not all published at the time of writing. Confirm dates on the school's own calendar, and see our Beijing school holidays 2026 guide for the consolidated public-holiday and term framework.