2027 School Term Dates for Every Australian State

Booking a holiday, planning leave, or just trying to remember when the next pupil-free day is? Here are the 2027 school term dates for every Australian state and territory in one place, taken from each state’s education department, plus a simple way to put them into your planner so the year doesn’t sneak up on you.

Quick answer: every state runs four terms in 2027. Most government schools go back in late January or the first week of February, and the year finishes between 10 and 17 December. The exact dates differ by state, so find yours in the table below.

2027 school term dates by state

These are the dates for government (public) schools. Independent and Catholic schools often set their own, and individual schools add pupil-free days, so always check your school’s calendar too.

State	Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Term 4
NSW	3 Feb – 9 Apr*	29 Apr – 2 Jul	20 Jul – 24 Sep	11 Oct – 17 Dec
VIC	28 Jan – 25 Mar	12 Apr – 25 Jun	12 Jul – 17 Sep	4 Oct – 17 Dec
QLD	27 Jan – 25 Mar	12 Apr – 25 Jun	12 Jul – 17 Sep	5 Oct – 10 Dec
WA	1 Feb – 9 Apr	26 Apr** – 2 Jul	19 Jul – 24 Sep	11 Oct – 16 Dec
SA	27 Jan – 9 Apr	26 Apr – 2 Jul	19 Jul – 24 Sep	11 Oct – 10 Dec
TAS	4 Feb – 9 Apr	26 Apr – 2 Jul	19 Jul – 24 Sep	11 Oct – 16 Dec
ACT	2 Feb – 9 Apr***	28 Apr – 2 Jul	20 Jul – 24 Sep	12 Oct – 17 Dec
NT	27 Jan – 2 Apr	12 Apr – 18 Jun	12 Jul – 17 Sep	4 Oct – 10 Dec

*NSW Eastern division. Western division schools start Term 1 on Wednesday 10 February; Terms 2 to 4 are the same. **Monday 26 April is expected to be a public holiday in lieu of Anzac Day in WA. ***ACT continuing students; new students start Monday 1 February. VIC dates are for students in government schools. NT dates exclude Gunbalanya School.

Sources: NSW Department of Education, Victorian Government, Queensland Department of Education, WA Department of Education, SA Department for Education, Tasmanian DECYP, ACT Government and NT Government. Checked November 2026.

The 2027 school holidays at a glance

• Autumn (Easter) holidays: late March to mid April in VIC, QLD and the NT; mid to late April in NSW, WA, SA, TAS and the ACT. Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March.
• Winter holidays: two to three weeks from late June or early July.
• Spring holidays: from mid or late September to early or mid October.
• Summer holidays: from 10 to 17 December, depending on your state, until school goes back in 2028.

How to plan your year around the school terms

Knowing the dates is one thing. Getting them into one place where the whole family can see them is what stops the last-minute scramble. It takes about ten minutes:

1. Start with a year view. Mark the first and last day of each term on a year-at-a-glance page, and shade the holidays. You’ll see the shape of the year straight away.
2. Add your school’s extra days. Pupil-free days, swimming and athletics carnivals, school photos, camps and parent-teacher interviews usually come home in the first newsletter of each term.
3. Book leave and holidays early. Flights and accommodation fill up quickly in the school holidays. If you need to take leave, put your request in as soon as you’ve marked the dates.
4. Plan each term in your weekly pages. At the start of each term, add the regular commitments (sport, music lessons, library day) to your weekly planner so they repeat in your head too.
5. Plan the in-between weeks. Holiday weeks need a plan too: vacation care bookings, play dates, and who’s doing pick-ups.

If you plan on a tablet, our Mama’s Family Planner 2027, Monday Start (Mum Edition) has a tappable year view, Monday-start weekly and monthly pages, and a Grade Tracker already split into four terms. Our 2027 digital diary guide for Aussie mums walks through setting it up.

FAQ

When does school start in 2027 in Australia?

Government school students go back between Wednesday 27 January (QLD, SA and NT) and Thursday 4 February (TAS). Victorian government school students start on Thursday 28 January. NSW starts on Wednesday 3 February in the Eastern division, WA on Monday 1 February and the ACT on Tuesday 2 February for continuing students.

How many terms are in the Australian school year?

Four. Every state and territory runs four terms in 2027, with holidays between each term and a long summer break from mid-December to late January or early February.

Do private and Catholic schools use the same term dates?

Not always. Many independent and Catholic schools set their own dates, so check your school calendar or newsletter before you book holidays.

When do the 2027 Christmas school holidays start?

Term 4 ends on Friday 10 December in QLD, SA and the NT, Thursday 16 December in WA and TAS, and Friday 17 December in NSW, VIC and the ACT.