Hey Raha blog · Dubai school life

Abu Dhabi School Term Dates 2026-27: ADEK Private Schools and MoE Public Schools

By Marie Adly · 7 October 2026

Abu Dhabi schools on the national calendar start on Monday 31 August 2026 and finish on Friday 2 July 2027, with 185 school days. The breaks are the October mid-term (12–16 October 2026), winter break (14 December 2026 – 1 January 2027) and spring break (5–9 April 2027). ADEK approves each private school's calendar, so check yours for a February break or training days.

Last updated: 7 October 2026

If you have children in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, this year is a little easier to plan than most. For 2026-27, the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE) has set one national calendar for public and private schools, and ADEK approves each private school's calendar against it. The big breaks line up across the emirate, and with Dubai too.

The small print still matters, though. Your school can set its own first day, training days and, in some cases, a February week. So use this page as your map and your school's approved calendar as the final word.

The 2026-27 Abu Dhabi school calendar at a glance

These are the national dates that apply to every public school and to private schools following the Ministry curriculum. Most other ADEK private schools work to the same frame.

Training days and early finishes usually arrive by school email. Hey Raha reads your school emails and sends you and your helper one clear daily WhatsApp plan. Try Hey Raha free for 14 days.

When the MoE first announced the calendar in February, it gave the breaks with weekends included (12–18 October, 14 December – 3 January, 5–11 April). They're the same breaks. The dates above are the school days off.

Public (MoE) schools: the full term-by-term picture

The Ministry's own calendar for public schools and private schools on the MoE curriculum goes further than break dates. It also sets assessment windows, which is useful if you're planning appointments or a family trip.

Term 1 (31 August – 11 December 2026)

• Diagnostic exams: 7–18 September
• Arabic Baseline Assessment: 7 September – 9 October
• Standardized Proficiency Assessment (SPA): 21 September – 30 October
• Mid-term break: 12–16 October
• PIRLS 2026 reading study (selected schools and grades): 19 October – 12 November
• Mock exams: 18–20 November
• End-of-term exams: 25–27 November, continuing 7–11 December
• National Day holiday: 2–4 December
• Make-up exams for Term 1: 14–18 December

Term 2 (4 January – 2 April 2027)

• Term 1 results: 4–6 January
• Eid Al Fitr holiday: 8–12 March (expected)
• School-based summative assessments: 22 March – 2 April

Term 3 (12 April – 2 July 2027)

• TIMSS 2027 study (selected schools): 19 April – 14 May
• SPA: 26 April – 4 June
• Eid Al Adha holiday: 15–18 May (expected)
• Mock exams: 9–11 June
• End-of-term exams: 16–25 June
• Last day for students: 2 July. Make-up and resit exams follow on 5–8 July.

One detail for KG and early primary families: the MoE calendar finishes the KG and Grade 1–2 curriculum on 11 June 2027, then runs enrichment and academic support until 2 July. Ask your school what those last three weeks look like for little ones.

Private (ADEK) schools: same frame, your school's own details

ADEK doesn't publish one calendar for every private school. Under its Calendar and Public Holidays Policy, each private and charter school submits its calendar through ADEK's Calendar System for approval. A school can either use the dates ADEK suggests or build its own within ADEK's limits on start and end dates, breaks and teaching days. Schools also have to include the public holidays ADEK lists, which ADEK notes are tentative until officially announced.

In practice, for 2026-27:

• The big breaks match the national calendar. Winter (from 14 December) and spring (from 5 April) are the same for almost every school.
• The October break is the one to check. The Ministry says all schools must keep the first-semester mid-term break. Private schools that don't teach the MoE curriculum can, with their regulator's approval, split it between October and February, as long as the total is no more than five school days. So a British or IB school might give, say, three days in October and two in February.
• First days and training days vary. Phased starts for KG, staff training days and early-finish days are set school by school.

If your school's October dates look different from your neighbour's, that's probably why. Check the latest email or parent portal before you book anything.

Public holidays and expected Eid dates

UAE public holidays are set by Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024. Islamic holidays depend on the moon sighting, so the 2027 dates below are expected and will be confirmed a day or two beforehand.

• Flag Day – Tuesday 3 November 2026. A normal school day, usually with a flag-raising ceremony at 11am.
• Commemoration Day – Monday 30 November 2026. A day of remembrance, not a school holiday.
• National Day (Eid Al Etihad) – Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026. These are the official public holiday dates. The MoE school calendar closes schools from 2 to 4 December, so many families get a five-day weekend. Private schools confirm their own dates.
• New Year's Day – Friday 1 January 2027. Falls in the winter break.
• Eid Al Fitr – expected 9 March 2027. The UAE's Astronomy Centre expects Eid on 9 or 10 March. If Ramadan lasts 30 days, day 30 becomes a holiday too, so the public holiday could run 9–12 March. The MoE school break is 8–12 March.
• Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha – expected 15–18 May 2027. Arafah is expected on 15 or 16 May, with Eid starting 16 or 17 May. Part of it falls on a weekend.
• Hijri New Year – expected Sunday 6 June 2027. On a weekend, so no school day is expected to be lost.

Ramadan 2027 and the school day

Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on Monday 8 February, subject to the moon sighting, and to last 29 or 30 days. All of it falls in Term 2, so school hours, pick-ups and after-school clubs are likely to change for about a month.

ADEK announces Ramadan school hours closer to the time, and your school will share its own timetable. Our guide to what Ramadan means for the school day is written for Dubai families, but the planning tips work just as well in Abu Dhabi.

Indian-curriculum and other April-start schools

The unified calendar doesn't fully apply to schools following Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi curricula. Many of these schools run an April-to-March year and set their own breaks. The principal of one Abu Dhabi CBSE school told Khaleej Times this month that CBSE schools don't have an October mid-term break at all: October is first-term exam season, and the next break comes around National Day, with a few days for Diwali.

If your child is at an April-start school, ask for the ADEK-approved calendar directly. It's usually on the school website or app.

Living in Dubai, school in Abu Dhabi (or the other way round)?

Lots of families have one child in each emirate, or one parent commuting. This year the national frame makes life simpler. Winter break starts on 14 December and spring break on 5 April in both emirates, and most schools on the unified calendar in both emirates take their October mid-term from the 12th.

The places where siblings can still end up on different days are:

• a split October/February mid-term at one school but not the other
• first days, phased starts and training days
• National Day closures (2–3 December or 2–4 December)

For Dubai dates, see our Dubai school holidays and term dates for 2026-27. For Sharjah, see Sharjah school term dates 2026-27. Or grab our printable UAE school calendar for the fridge.

Once you have the dates, share them with your helper on day one. Holidays change pick-ups, meals and their own days off. Our weekly nanny and helper briefing template makes that one message instead of twenty.

Sources

• UAE Ministry of Education: Academic Calendar 2026-2027 (PDF) (term timelines, assessment windows, 185 days)
• UAE Ministry of Education: Academic calendar for the 2026-2027 academic year
• UAE Ministry of Education: Academic calendar for the next three years
• WAM: Ministry of Education sets three-year academic calendar (23 Feb 2026)
• ADEK: Calendar and Public Holidays Policy (PDF)
• ADEK: School policies: governance and operations
• UAE Government portal: Public holidays
• UAE Legislation: Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 concerning public holidays
• The National: UAE cuts length of winter school holiday under new academic calendar (25 Feb 2026)
• The National: When is Ramadan 2027? Potential dates announced for the UAE (updated 6 Oct 2026)
• Khaleej Times: Why do some UAE schools get an October half-term while CBSE schools don't? (2 Oct 2026)

Frequently asked questions

When does the 2026-27 school year start in Abu Dhabi?
Monday 31 August 2026 for students, with staff back on 24 August. Some private schools phase the start for younger year groups, so check your school's letter.

When is the October 2026 half-term in Abu Dhabi?
Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026, with classes back on Monday 19 October. Private schools not on the MoE curriculum may split these five days between October and February with ADEK approval, so check your school's calendar.

When is winter break for Abu Dhabi schools?
From Monday 14 December 2026. Students return on Monday 4 January 2027.

When is the last day of school in Abu Dhabi for 2026-27?
Friday 2 July 2027 for schools on the national calendar. April-start schools finish their year in March or early April 2027.

Is there a February half-term in Abu Dhabi?
Not in the national calendar. Some private schools add one by splitting their mid-term break, so it depends on your school.

Does ADEK publish one calendar for all private schools?
No. ADEK approves each private school's calendar through its Calendar System, within set limits. The school's approved calendar is the one to follow.

More from the blog: the Hey Raha blog hub. New here? Our practical guides walk through the day-to-day.