Dubai school summer holidays 2026: When do private schools reopen after the break?
Whether your child studies in a CBSE, UK or IB school, here's when classes resume in Dubai and how to check your school's academic calendar
Dubai: Even as schoolchildren enjoy the ongoing summer break, if you’re a parent who’s already planning family trips for later this year, or for the return to school after the summer break, it is helpful to know when Dubai schools will resume.
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), which regulates the education sector in the emirate, issues academic calendars for schools, which need to be followed, to ensure the minimum requirement for school days is met.
Depending on the curriculum, your child’s school may start his or her academic year either in April or September. Schools following the Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), for example, begin their academic year in April. For schools following the UK Curriculum or the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, on the other hand, the academic year starts from September.
Dubai private schools starting in April - Academic year 2026-2027
- April 6, 2026 – Start of academic year
- July 6, 2026 – Start of summer break
- August 31, 2026 – Resumption of classes after summer break
- December 14, 2026 – Start of winter break
- January 4, 2027 – Resumption of classes after winter break
- March 15-31, 2027 – End of academic year. Schools will end their academic year within these dates, subject to the school fulfilling the stipulated number of school days.
Minimum number of school days required – 182 days
Dubai private schools starting in September - Academic year 2026-2027
- August 31, 2026 – Start of academic year
- October 12, 2026 – Start of first mid-term break (for Ministry of Education private schools only)
- October 19, 2026 – Resumption of classes after the first mid-term break
- December 14, 2026 – Start of winter break
- January 4, 2027 – Resumption of classes after winter break
- April 5, 2027 – Start of spring break
- April 12, 2027 – Resumption of classes after spring break
- July 2, 2027 – End of academic year
Minimum number of school days required – 185 days
Check school specific calendar
You can also check your child’s school-specific calendar by visiting the KHDA website here: https://web.khda.gov.ae/en/resources/academic-calendar-dubai-private-schools
Simply enter the name of the school and click on ‘Academic calendar’ to get the details.