UAE School Holidays 2022 – 2023

School term and holiday dates for the 2022-23 academic year are out! Keen to organise your travel plans? Look no further, your child’s school holiday dates are in…

Do all private schools in the UAE follow the same academic calendar?

No, there are two basic formats, one starting in August/September (UK, American, Australian, Canadian curriculum) and the second starting in April (Indian, Pakistani, Japanese). The below dates are for schools with an August start.

UAE schools must follow the dates published by the Ministry of Education regarding holiday and term dates, public holidays and school closures, however, limited flexibility is permitted for Dubai schools under KHDA, notably, whether a school’s spring break lasts for a duration of two weeks or three weeks and whether the school closes for half term breaks. 

Do schools have longer public holidays than the private sector?

While the intention to unify public holidays between the public and private sector has been reported on in recent years, there are still some discrepancies between the two, and schools tend to fall under the public sector category where holidays are concerned, whether private or public. Schools are directed on these closures and are not permitted to deviate from this.

Public holidays, while often communicated by schools in advance, are expected dates only, and are confirmed  closer to the time.

Number of school days...

The UAE’s federal education body, the Ministry of Education, stipulates the minimum number of school days for UAE schools, which varies slightly from year to year, largely depending on where in the week public holidays fall. While Ministry of Education schools must provide 188 in the 2022-23 academic year, international schools (i.e. any schools following a curriculum other than UAE’s Ministry of Education curriculum) are permitted to provide fewer days: a minimum of 182. Of Dubai’s 201 international schools, 162 will provide the 2022-23 minimum of 182 school days.

Winter Term (Sep-Dec 2022)

Spring Term (Jan-Mar 2023)

Summer Term (Apr-Jul 2023)