UAE Reveals New School Calendar with Longer Breaks in 2025

  • Publish date: Thursday، 24 July 2025 Reading time: two min read

New academic year starts August 25, with three mid-term breaks and a longer winter holiday for all UAE schools.

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Big news for students, parents, and teachers—the UAE just dropped its updated school calendar, and it’s packing more structure, longer holidays, and some well-timed breaks to keep burnout at bay. Starting August 25, 2025, the calendar will apply to all public and private schools across the country.

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Here’s the Term-by-Term Breakdown

  • First Term:
    Starts August 25, 2025
    Ends December 7, 2025
    Winter break: December 8, 2025 – January 4, 2026
    Back to class: January 5, 2026

  • Second Term:
    January 5 – March 15, 2026
    Spring break: March 16 – 29, 2026
    Classes resume: March 30, 2026 (March 23 for Sharjah private schools)

  • Third Term:
    March 30 – July 3, 2026 (July 2 for Sharjah)

Mid-Term Breaks Are Officially In

If you're someone who lives for a quick school break, here’s the good news—three mid-term breaks are now officially part of the calendar for public and private schools following the government curriculum:

  • First Term Mid-Break: October 13–19, 2025

  • Second Term Mid-Break: February 11–15, 2026

  • Third Term Mid-Break: May 25–31, 2026 (right around Eid Al Adha!)

Schools will resume the day after each break ends.

Private Schools Get Extra Flex

For private schools that don’t follow the UAE national curriculum, there’s room for flexibility:

  • They can still add October and February mid-term breaks, capped at five days each.

  • But the breaks must stay within those months and can’t be moved around to stretch holidays.

No Early Outs—Yes, Even at the End of Term

Heads up: all schools—yes, even private ones—are expected to run final assessments or wrap up curriculum during the last week of every term. Students are expected to be in class until the last day, unless they’re sitting international exams that follow a different schedule.

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