Reference

School term dates, every state.

Start, end and length of every government-school term for 2026 — and 2027 where departments have published it. Independent and Catholic schools set their own calendars, so treat these as the public-school baseline and check your school's own dates.

Victoria (VIC)

2026

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Wed 28 JanuaryThu 2 April10 weeks
Term 2Mon 20 AprilFri 26 June10 weeks
Term 3Mon 13 JulyFri 18 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 5 OctoberFri 18 December11 weeks

2027

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Thu 28 JanuaryThu 25 March9 weeks
Term 2Mon 12 AprilFri 25 June11 weeks
Term 3Mon 12 JulyFri 17 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 4 OctoberFri 17 December11 weeks

New South Wales (NSW)

2026

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Mon 2 FebruaryThu 2 April9 weeks
Term 2Wed 22 AprilFri 3 July11 weeks
Term 3Tue 21 JulyFri 25 September10 weeks
Term 4Tue 13 OctoberThu 17 December10 weeks

2027

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Thu 28 JanuaryFri 9 April11 weeks
Term 2Tue 27 AprilFri 2 July10 weeks
Term 3Mon 19 JulyFri 24 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 11 OctoberMon 20 December11 weeks

Queensland (QLD)

2026

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Tue 27 JanuaryThu 2 April10 weeks
Term 2Mon 20 AprilFri 26 June10 weeks
Term 3Mon 13 JulyFri 18 September10 weeks
Term 4Tue 6 OctoberFri 11 December10 weeks

Western Australia (WA)

2026

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Mon 2 FebruaryThu 2 April9 weeks
Term 2Mon 20 AprilFri 3 July11 weeks
Term 3Mon 20 JulyFri 25 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 12 OctoberThu 17 December10 weeks

2027

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Mon 1 FebruaryFri 9 April10 weeks
Term 2Mon 26 AprilFri 2 July10 weeks
Term 3Mon 19 JulyFri 24 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 11 OctoberThu 16 December10 weeks

South Australia (SA)

2026

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Tue 27 JanuaryFri 10 April11 weeks
Term 2Mon 27 AprilFri 3 July10 weeks
Term 3Mon 20 JulyFri 25 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 12 OctoberFri 11 December9 weeks

2027

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Wed 27 JanuaryFri 9 April11 weeks
Term 2Mon 26 AprilFri 2 July10 weeks
Term 3Mon 19 JulyFri 24 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 11 OctoberFri 10 December9 weeks

Tasmania (TAS)

2026

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Thu 5 FebruaryFri 17 April11 weeks
Term 2Mon 4 MayFri 10 July10 weeks
Term 3Mon 27 JulyFri 2 October10 weeks
Term 4Mon 19 OctoberFri 18 December9 weeks

2027

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Thu 4 FebruaryFri 9 April10 weeks
Term 2Mon 26 AprilFri 2 July10 weeks
Term 3Mon 19 JulyFri 24 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 11 OctoberThu 16 December10 weeks

Northern Territory (NT)

2026

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Thu 29 JanuaryThu 2 April10 weeks
Term 2Tue 14 AprilFri 19 June10 weeks
Term 3Tue 14 JulyFri 18 September10 weeks
Term 4Tue 6 OctoberThu 10 December10 weeks

2027

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Wed 27 JanuaryFri 2 April10 weeks
Term 2Tue 13 AprilFri 18 June10 weeks
Term 3Tue 13 JulyFri 17 September10 weeks
Term 4Tue 5 OctoberThu 9 December10 weeks

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

2026

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Mon 2 FebruaryThu 2 April9 weeks
Term 2Mon 20 AprilFri 3 July11 weeks
Term 3Mon 20 JulyFri 25 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 12 OctoberFri 18 December10 weeks

2027

TermStartsEndsLength
Term 1Mon 1 FebruaryThu 25 March8 weeks
Term 2Mon 12 AprilFri 2 July12 weeks
Term 3Mon 19 JulyFri 24 September10 weeks
Term 4Mon 11 OctoberFri 17 December10 weeks

Dates are for government schools, drawn from each state education department’s published calendar, last verified 4 July 2026. Where a state hasn’t yet published a 2027 calendar, it’s omitted rather than guessed.

The shape of a term

A school term is not ten equal weeks. The first fortnight is settling — new units open, routines re-form, and very little is yet assessed. The middle stretch, roughly weeks three to seven, is where the term’s real work happens: this is when a struggling start either gets addressed or quietly hardens into the term’s pattern. The final weeks belong to assessment, and by then the die is mostly cast — feedback that arrives in week nine can name a problem, but it can’t do much about it until next term.

Which is the honest answer to “when should we get help?”: early in a term, not late. Not because urgency sells, but because the term’s own structure pays early work forward — a writing habit corrected in week two compounds across eight assessable weeks; the same correction in week eight compounds across none.

Where in the term is your child?

If the answer is “the middle, and something isn’t right”, the two-minute diagnostic is the shortest path to knowing what kind of help would land.

What does your child need? →