UAE Ministry of Education Approves New School Calendar Structure Starting Academic Year 2025–2026

The Ministry of Education has announced the adoption of a new structure for the national school calendar, applicable to both public and private schools across the UAE. The restructuring, approved by the Council for Education, Human Development and Society, will take effect starting from the 2025–2026 academic year.

The new framework unifies holiday and term dates across various schools in an effort to enhance family and societal stability, and to foster a balanced educational environment that supports overall educational and social well-being. The move aligns with the objectives of the “Year of Community”.

Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of Education, stated that the new structure marks a qualitative shift in how the academic year is organized. She emphasized that this change reflects a national vision to reinforce family cohesion and elevate the family’s role in supporting the educational process. “We aspire to transform the school calendar into a strategic national tool that promotes better harmony between school and family life, enabling families to plan ahead and participate more actively in their children’s educational and social journeys,” she said.

Her Excellency also highlighted that having clear and consistent holiday dates will enhance coordination between the school calendar and cultural, tourism, and community sector programs — ultimately supporting both students and families.

Engineer Mohamed Al Qassim, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, explained that the school calendar restructure was introduced to strengthen familial and social cohesion by minimizing scheduling disparities between siblings and offering well-organized breaks. He added that balanced distribution of vacations supports students’ mental well-being and improves attendance and discipline.

He further noted that the revised calendar considers student needs, offering a more flexible and sustainable educational experience that contributes to academic performance across all grade levels.

The new calendar will be implemented starting August 25, 2025, with the first term beginning on that date. The winter break will start on December 8 and end on January 4, 2026, with the second term resuming on January 5. A spring break will follow from March 16 to 29, with classes resuming on March 30, except for certain private schools in Sharjah, which will resume on March 23.

The third term begins on March 30 and continues until July 3, 2026, with private schools in Sharjah concluding the academic year on July 2.

The new calendar also introduces short mid-term breaks for public schools and private schools following the Ministry’s curriculum. These include:

• October 13–19, 2025 (Term 1)
• February 11–15, 2026 (Term 2)
• May 25–31, 2026 (Term 3, coinciding with Eid Al-Adha break)

Private schools not following the Ministry curriculum may schedule October and February breaks with flexibility, provided they do not exceed five consecutive days and remain within the approved time frame.

The Ministry emphasized that all schools, both public and private, must adhere to the official calendar, including final assessments to be conducted in the last week of each term — with exceptions only for students taking internationally scheduled exams. Furthermore, private schools applying the national curriculum are required to follow the same centralized assessment schedule used in public schools, to ensure fairness and maintain the quality of educational outcomes.