General information, not legal advice. Not a government site. Dates follow the Public Holidays Act, presidential declarations and the gazetted DBE school calendars.
School terms 2027
Term dates and school holidays for public schools in all provinces, from the 2027 calendar the Minister of Basic Education published in the Government Gazette. Also see 2026 and 2028.
2027 term dates (public schools, all provinces)
Term
Learners start
Learners finish
School days
Term 1
Wednesday 13 January 2027Teachers from Mon 11 Jan
Friday 19 March 2027
48
Term 2
Tuesday 6 April 2027
Friday 25 June 2027
56
Term 3
Tuesday 20 July 2027
Wednesday 22 September 2027
46
Term 4
Tuesday 5 October 2027
Wednesday 8 December 2027Teachers until Fri 10 Dec
47
Year
197
School holidays 2027
17 daysSat 20 Mar – Mon 5 AprAfter term 1
24 daysSat 26 Jun – Mon 19 JulAfter term 2
12 daysThu 23 Sep – Mon 4 OctAfter term 3
34 daysThu 9 Dec – Tue 11 Jan 2028End of year (to 2028)
Days off during term
Monday 26 April 2027Special school holiday (schools only, not a public holiday)
School day Public holiday Special school holiday Weekend
January 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1: New Year's Day
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13: Term 1
14: Term 1
15: Term 1
16
17
18: Term 1
19: Term 1
20: Term 1
21: Term 1
22: Term 1
23
24
25: Term 1
26: Term 1
27: Term 1
28: Term 1
29: Term 1
30
31
February 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1: Term 1
2: Term 1
3: Term 1
4: Term 1
5: Term 1
6
7
8: Term 1
9: Term 1
10: Term 1
11: Term 1
12: Term 1
13
14
15: Term 1
16: Term 1
17: Term 1
18: Term 1
19: Term 1
20
21
22: Term 1
23: Term 1
24: Term 1
25: Term 1
26: Term 1
27
28
March 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1: Term 1
2: Term 1
3: Term 1
4: Term 1
5: Term 1
6
7
8: Term 1
9: Term 1
10: Term 1
11: Term 1
12: Term 1
13
14
15: Term 1
16: Term 1
17: Term 1
18: Term 1
19: Term 1
20
21: Human Rights Day
22: Human Rights Day observed
23
24
25
26: Good Friday
27
28
29: Family Day
30
31
April 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1
2
3
4
5
6: Term 2
7: Term 2
8: Term 2
9: Term 2
10
11
12: Term 2
13: Term 2
14: Term 2
15: Term 2
16: Term 2
17
18
19: Term 2
20: Term 2
21: Term 2
22: Term 2
23: Term 2
24
25
26: Special school holiday
27: Freedom Day
28: Term 2
29: Term 2
30: Term 2
May 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1: Workers' Day
2
3: Term 2
4: Term 2
5: Term 2
6: Term 2
7: Term 2
8
9
10: Term 2
11: Term 2
12: Term 2
13: Term 2
14: Term 2
15
16
17: Term 2
18: Term 2
19: Term 2
20: Term 2
21: Term 2
22
23
24: Term 2
25: Term 2
26: Term 2
27: Term 2
28: Term 2
29
30
31: Term 2
June 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1: Term 2
2: Term 2
3: Term 2
4: Term 2
5
6
7: Term 2
8: Term 2
9: Term 2
10: Term 2
11: Term 2
12
13
14: Term 2
15: Term 2
16: Youth Day
17: Term 2
18: Term 2
19
20
21: Term 2
22: Term 2
23: Term 2
24: Term 2
25: Term 2
26
27
28
29
30
July 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20: Term 3
21: Term 3
22: Term 3
23: Term 3
24
25
26: Term 3
27: Term 3
28: Term 3
29: Term 3
30: Term 3
31
August 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1
2: Term 3
3: Term 3
4: Term 3
5: Term 3
6: Term 3
7
8
9: National Women's Day
10: Term 3
11: Term 3
12: Term 3
13: Term 3
14
15
16: Term 3
17: Term 3
18: Term 3
19: Term 3
20: Term 3
21
22
23: Term 3
24: Term 3
25: Term 3
26: Term 3
27: Term 3
28
29
30: Term 3
31: Term 3
September 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1: Term 3
2: Term 3
3: Term 3
4
5
6: Term 3
7: Term 3
8: Term 3
9: Term 3
10: Term 3
11
12
13: Term 3
14: Term 3
15: Term 3
16: Term 3
17: Term 3
18
19
20: Term 3
21: Term 3
22: Term 3
23
24: Heritage Day
25
26
27
28
29
30
October 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1
2
3
4
5: Term 4
6: Term 4
7: Term 4
8: Term 4
9
10
11: Term 4
12: Term 4
13: Term 4
14: Term 4
15: Term 4
16
17
18: Term 4
19: Term 4
20: Term 4
21: Term 4
22: Term 4
23
24
25: Term 4
26: Term 4
27: Term 4
28: Term 4
29: Term 4
30
31
November 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1: Term 4
2: Term 4
3: Term 4
4: Term 4
5: Term 4
6
7
8: Term 4
9: Term 4
10: Term 4
11: Term 4
12: Term 4
13
14
15: Term 4
16: Term 4
17: Term 4
18: Term 4
19: Term 4
20
21
22: Term 4
23: Term 4
24: Term 4
25: Term 4
26: Term 4
27
28
29: Term 4
30: Term 4
December 2027
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1: Term 4
2: Term 4
3: Term 4
4
5
6: Term 4
7: Term 4
8: Term 4
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16: Day of Reconciliation
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25: Christmas Day
26: Day of Goodwill
27: Day of Goodwill observed
28
29
30
31
General information, not legal advice. KayaCalendar gives general information based on the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994, presidential declarations of special public holidays published on gov.za, and the public school calendars gazetted by the Minister of Basic Education. It is not legal advice and is not a government website. The President can declare extra public holidays, and provinces, schools and employers may set their own arrangements, so check important dates with the official source. Independent schools set their own dates. A province can apply to change dates in an emergency, and the Minister can amend the calendar by notice.
Where these dates come from
The Minister of Basic Education determines the school calendar for public schools under section 3(4)(k) of the National Education Policy Act and publishes it in the Government Gazette. The 2027 dates here come from 2027 Calendar for public schools (GN 5902, 25 February 2025).
The gov.za school calendar summary page shows different dates for terms 3 and 4 of 2027. We follow the gazetted notice, which is the official calendar.
Learners at public schools return on Wednesday 13 January 2027; teachers start on Monday 11 January 2027. The date is the same in all nine provinces.
When do schools close in 2027?
Learners finish on Wednesday 8 December 2027 and teachers on Friday 10 December 2027.
What are the 2027 school holidays?
After term 1: Sat 20 Mar to Mon 5 Apr; After term 2: Sat 26 Jun to Mon 19 Jul; After term 3: Thu 23 Sep to Mon 4 Oct; End of year (to 2028): Thu 9 Dec to Tue 11 Jan 2028.
How many school days are there in 2027?
197, as printed in the gazetted calendar.
Do private schools follow this calendar?
Not necessarily. The gazetted calendar is for public schools. Independent schools set their own term dates, so check with the school.