Summer School Holidays 2026–27: When Families Fly
Queensland breaks up first on Friday 11 December, then NSW on Thursday 17 December and Victoria a day later. NSW families get the longest summer: public school students don't return until 3 or 10 February.
Australia’s three biggest school systems break up within a week of each other this summer. Queensland finishes on Friday 11 December, NSW on Thursday 17 December and Victoria on Friday 18 December. Queensland and Victoria go back in the last week of January. NSW public school students don’t return until February.
Government school dates
| State | Last day of Term 4 | Summer holidays | Students back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queensland | Fri 11 Dec | Sat 12 Dec – Tue 26 Jan (46 days) | Wed 27 Jan |
| Victoria | Fri 18 Dec | Mon 21 Dec – Wed 27 Jan | Thu 28 Jan |
| NSW, Eastern division | Thu 17 Dec | Fri 18 Dec – Wed 27 Jan | Wed 3 Feb |
| NSW, Western division | Thu 17 Dec | Fri 18 Dec – Wed 3 Feb | Wed 10 Feb |
Sources: the NSW Department of Education, the Victorian Government and the Queensland Department of Education.
The NSW department’s holiday period for the Eastern division ends on 27 January, but staff development days follow from Thursday 28 January to Tuesday 2 February. That means students are off until Term 1 starts on Wednesday 3 February. Western division students start a week later, on 10 February, with staff days from 4 to 9 February. Victoria’s Term 1 starts on Wednesday 27 January, but government school students begin on Thursday 28 January. These are government school dates. Check with families at independent and Catholic schools.
Public holidays
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec |
| Boxing Day | Sat 26 Dec |
| Additional day, NSW and Victoria | Mon 28 Dec |
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 Jan |
| Australia Day | Tue 26 Jan |
Because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, NSW and Victoria both add a public holiday on Monday 28 December. Christmas falls on a Friday, so the Christmas long weekend runs from 25 to 28 December.
Peak days to watch
These are our reading of the calendars, not airline forecasts.
- Sat 12 – Sun 13 Dec: Queensland’s first weekend of holidays.
- Thu 17 – Sun 20 Dec: NSW and Victoria break up within a day of each other.
- Thu 24 – Mon 28 Dec: the Christmas long weekend.
- Sat 23 – Tue 26 Jan: Queensland and Victorian families head home before school, around Australia Day.
- Sat 30 Jan – Tue 2 Feb: the last weekend for NSW Eastern families.
- Sat 6 – Tue 9 Feb: the last weekend for NSW Western families.
Sources
- NSW Department of Education, 2026 term dates, checked 22 Oct 2026
- NSW Department of Education, 2027 term dates, checked 22 Oct 2026
- Victorian Government, School term dates and holidays in Victoria, checked 22 Oct 2026
- Queensland Department of Education, School holidays and term dates, checked 22 Oct 2026
- Queensland Department of Education, Future school dates, checked 22 Oct 2026
- NSW Government, NSW public holidays
- Business Victoria, Victorian public holidays 2026
- Business Victoria, Victorian public holidays 2027
Casie Stewart is Senior Editor at Not An Atlas, usually found in a Toronto coffee shop in a cute outfit, laptop open, coffee in hand and phone (always) within arm's reach. Some of her warmest memories are of fishing and camping in New Zealand's Bay of Islands with her family as a kid. She's a New Zealand citizen, and it will always feel like home. She takes the window seat (she wants to see the world, not the beverage cart), swears by her Trtl travel pillow (comfort over cool, always) and orders whatever the locals are having. Waking up to the sounds of the rainforest in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle is her “this is why I travel” moment, and Arizona's deserts and sunsets are where she'd go back tomorrow. She covers the places, people, food and festivals that make a destination memorable. Friends say funny, effervescent and organized. Her mum adds cuddly. Next stop: Bali.
