UAE Releases Unified School Calendar for 2025–2026: Key Dates and Breaks Announced 

Key Points:

UAE 2025-2026 school year calendar begins on 25 August 2025 and concludes on 3 July 2026.

Comprises three mid-term breaks and winter and spring break combined.

Joining and studying the curriculum mandatory up to each term's end.

Key Background :

The UAE move to harmonize the 2025–2026 school calendar is one of the measures in a comprehensive program aimed at unifying the education sector and bringing about standardization in all the emirates. By harmonizing public and private school calendars, the Ministry of Education is working towards making it simpler for family homes, teachers, and community organizations to organize.

From 25 August 2025, the school term will be ten months and conclude on 3 July 2026. Sharjah private schools will, however, close a day earlier on 2 July. This collective policy facilitates easy planning of examination, academic activity, holiday, and extracurricular activity logistics and makes federal-level administration convenient.

One of the special benefits of the new calendar is the provision of three mid-term breaks, which will contribute to relieving the students' stress and improving their wellbeing. The breaks will be accessed after gruelling study sessions, and they will provide the teachers and the students with the chance to break. The third mid-term break date has been synchronized with Eid Al Adha holidays for purposes of religious and family obligations.

The December 2025 to January 2026 winter recess from 8 December to 4 January provides a four-week break for family time, holidays, and relaxation. The 16 to 29 March 2026 spring break is also one of the larger breaks prior to the start of the final term at school. Sharjah private schools have borrowed an early first day of school from spring break, 23 March, to align with their year-end schedule.

For non-national curriculum private schools, the Ministry has provided for controlled flexibility. The schools are allowed to provide optional mid-term breaks during October and February but not over five consecutive days in either month. This provides room for minimal interference of teaching but with regard to institutional preference.

The Ministry has crafted the role of the schools to carry out assessments and instruction delivery up to the last day of each term. Attendance by the students is compulsory to the last day, with the exception of those writing internationally timetabled board or external examinations. The policy facilitates smooth learning and fairness in performance.

Education Minister Sarah Al Amiri also added that the calendar is not only educational but also of national development. With a standardized format, community events, tourism events, and youth events now fit school holidays better—improving overall attendance and promoting more peaceful school-community collaboration.