Hey Raha blog · School life
Qatar school calendar 2026-27: holidays, breaks and exam weeks
Qatar's 2026-27 school year started on Sunday 30 August 2026. The first-semester mid-term break is Sunday 25 to Thursday 29 October 2026, the mid-year break starts on Sunday 20 December 2026, and students go back on Monday 4 January 2027. There is a long weekend on Wednesday 31 March and Thursday 1 April 2027. Eid dates depend on the moon sighting and are UNCONFIRMED.
Last updated: 22 October 2026
These dates come from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) calendar approved in July 2025 for 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28. Public schools follow it exactly. Private and international schools use it as a frame and then set their own term dates, so check your school's calendar too. Here's the full year, what's still to be confirmed, and how to keep everyone at home on the same page.
Qatar school calendar 2026-27 at a glance
| What | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| School staff return | Sunday 23 August 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Students return | Sunday 30 August 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Mid-term exams, Grades 10 and 11 | Tuesday 13 to Thursday 22 October 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Mid-term exams, Grades 1 to 9 | Wednesday 14 to Thursday 22 October 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| First-semester mid-term break | Sunday 25 to Thursday 29 October 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Back to school | Sunday 1 November 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| End of first-semester exams, Grades 10 to 12 | Sunday 6 to Tuesday 15 December 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| End of first-semester exams, Grades 1 to 9 | Monday 7 to Tuesday 15 December 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Qatar National Day | Friday 18 December 2026 | Official holiday, falls on a weekend |
| Mid-year break begins | Sunday 20 December 2026 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Staff return | Sunday 3 January 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Students return for the second semester | Monday 4 January 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| First-semester resit exams, Grades 1 to 12 | Sunday 17 to Tuesday 26 January 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| National Sports Day | Tuesday 9 February 2027 | Expected (second Tuesday of February); the Amiri Diwan confirms each year |
| Ramadan | Expected to start Monday 8 February 2027, for 29 or 30 days | UNCONFIRMED, moon sighting |
| Eid Al Fitr | Expected Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 March 2027 | UNCONFIRMED, moon sighting |
| Mid-term exams, Grades 10 and 11 | Sunday 21 to Tuesday 30 March 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Mid-term exams, Grades 1 to 9 | Monday 22 to Tuesday 30 March 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Long weekend | Wednesday 31 March and Thursday 1 April 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Back to school | Sunday 4 April 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Eid Al Adha | Expected Sunday 16 or Monday 17 May 2027 | UNCONFIRMED, moon sighting |
| Final exams, Grade 12 | Tuesday 1 to Thursday 17 June 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Final exams, Grades 10 and 11 | Thursday 3 to Tuesday 15 June 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Final exams, Grades 1 to 9 | Thursday 3 to Monday 14 June 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| School staff summer leave | Sunday 27 June to Thursday 19 August 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
| Students return for 2027-28 | Sunday 29 August 2027 | Confirmed, MoEHE |
The Ministry's calendar lists the start of the mid-year break but not a separate end date for students. The first day back is Monday 4 January 2027, a day after staff return.
Ramadan, Eid and public holidays in 2026-27
Ramadan 2027 is expected to start on Monday 8 February 2027, based on astronomical calculations reported in Qatar. The Crescent Sighting Committee at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs confirms the actual date, so treat it as UNCONFIRMED.
No extra Ramadan days off this year. The Ministry's 2025 to 2028 calendar adds two extra days off during Ramadan in 2025-26 and 2027-28, on top of the official state holiday. It does not list them for 2026-27. The Ministry also set second-semester mid-term exams for after Ramadan (21 to 30 March 2027). For last year's Ramadan hours and what to expect, see Ramadan school timings in Qatar 2027.
Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha are not on the Ministry's school calendar. They follow the official state holiday, announced by the Amiri Diwan close to the date. Eid Al Fitr is expected on 9 or 10 March 2027 and Eid Al Adha on 16 or 17 May 2027. Both are UNCONFIRMED.
National Day (18 December) falls on a Friday in 2026. First-semester exams now finish before National Day, a change the Ministry made so pupils can take part in the celebrations.
National Sports Day falls on the second Tuesday of February, which is 9 February in 2027. The Amiri Diwan announces it as an official holiday each year (in 2026 it was 10 February), so it is expected but not yet announced.
Private and international schools: same frame, different breaks
The July 2025 calendar was designed to bring public and private school holidays closer together, especially the December break. In practice, private schools still publish their own term dates. Three Doha schools' published 2026-27 calendars show how much they can differ around Ramadan and Eid:
| Oryx International School | International School of London Qatar | Compass International School Doha | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter break | Term 1 ends Thursday 17 December | Break 20 December to 3 January | Sunday 20 December to Sunday 3 January |
| Back in January | Monday 4 January | Monday 4 January | Monday 4 January |
| Late February or early March | Term 2 ends Thursday 4 March | Spring break 28 February to 4 March | Term 2 ends Thursday 4 March |
| Eid Al Fitr | Sunday 7 to Thursday 11 March, back 14 March | 7 to 11 March, back 14 March | Sunday 7 to Thursday 18 March, back 21 March |
| Long weekend | Closed 31 March and 1 April | Closed 31 March and 1 April (students, except Grade 12) | Ministry break Wednesday 31 March to Sunday 4 April |
| Eid Al Adha | Sunday 16 to Thursday 20 May | 16 to 20 May | Sunday 16 to Thursday 20 May |
| Last day | Wednesday 23 June | 24 June | Thursday 24 June |
Doha College lists a similar pattern to Compass: a half term from 9 to 11 February 2027 (including National Sports Day) and a spring break with Eid Al Fitr from 7 to 18 March, back on 21 March. Oryx and Compass mark their Ramadan dates as to be confirmed, and every Eid date can still move with the moon sighting. If your children are at two different schools, or one is at nursery, you may have two Eid breaks of different lengths. That is exactly where plans slip.
Saved the calendar a while ago? Check which version you have
The Ministry's Annual Calendar page still links a 2026-27 calendar image published before the July 2025 update. That older version shows the mid-year break starting on 27 December 2026 and students returning on 11 January 2027. The calendar the Ministry approved in July 2025, and the one Doha schools now publish, has the break from 20 December 2026 and students back on 4 January 2027.
If you screenshotted a calendar last year, check it against the dates above before you book flights.
When the calendar changes, Raha tells you
Dates move. Eid closures are confirmed close to the date, a school adds a training day, or an exam week shifts. Sometimes the change is bigger: on 28 February 2026 the Ministry moved private schools and kindergartens to distance learning from the next day, as a precautionary measure. The update almost always lands in your inbox first, often in a long newsletter. Hey Raha reads your school emails, read-only, and spots the change. She updates your family plan and tells you on WhatsApp, and your nanny or helper gets her own version without fees or private notes. Try Hey Raha free for 14 days.
If the emails are already overwhelming, our guide to too many school emails helps, and so does our piece on managing class WhatsApp groups.
Planning with a nanny or helper
- Share the whole year now, including the exam weeks. Exam days can mean different pick-up times, so check your school's exam timetable.
- Mark Eid as "expected" until the official announcement, and confirm the exact days off with your nanny or helper once it's out.
- Plan Ramadan routines early. School hours change during Ramadan; in 2026 government schools ran from 9am to 12.30pm. Our Ramadan school timings guide for Qatar has the detail, and our page on how UAE schools handled Ramadan hours shows the comparison.
- Agree leave around the long breaks. If your helper travels home in the summer, agree dates early. Public school staff leave runs 27 June to 19 August 2027, and private schools finish around 23 or 24 June.
Our guide to briefing your nanny or helper on the school week has a template you can adapt.
Qatar school calendar FAQ
When do schools in Qatar reopen after the mid-year break?
Public school students return on Monday 4 January 2027, a day after staff. Most private schools we checked also restart on 4 January 2027.
When is the mid-year break in Qatar 2026?
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education's calendar starts the mid-year break on Sunday 20 December 2026. Students return on Monday 4 January 2027.
Is there a holiday for Ramadan in Qatar schools in 2027?
The Ministry's calendar adds two extra Ramadan days off in 2025-26 and 2027-28, but not in 2026-27. Schools close for the official Eid Al Fitr holiday, expected around 9 or 10 March 2027 and still UNCONFIRMED.
Do private schools in Qatar follow the Ministry calendar?
They use it as a frame, and the 2025 to 2028 calendar was designed to bring public and private holidays closer. Private schools still publish their own term dates and Eid breaks, so check your school's calendar.
When does the 2027-28 school year start in Qatar?
Students return on Sunday 29 August 2027, according to the Ministry's 2025 to 2028 calendar.
Sources
- Ministry of Education and Higher Education, academic calendar for 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 (PDF, approved 8 July 2025)
- Ministry of Education and Higher Education, news, new academic calendar approved (Arabic, 8 July 2025)
- Qatar News Agency, MOEHE approves new academic calendar for 2025-2028 (8 July 2025)
- Ministry of Education and Higher Education, students return on 30 August 2026
- Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Annual Calendar page (links the earlier 2026-27 image)
- Amiri Diwan, National Sports Day holiday 2026 (second Tuesday of February)
- Qatar Living, Ramadan 2027 expected dates (news)
- Oryx International School, school calendar 2026-27
- International School of London Qatar, 2026-27 calendar
- The Peninsula, 28 February 2026, schools and kindergartens to switch to distance learning (news)
- Doha College, term dates 2026-27
- Compass International School Doha, important dates 2026-27
A little help from Hey Raha
The Ministry calendar, your school's own term dates, Eid when it's announced and the long weekend in April: that's a lot to keep straight across two semesters. Hey Raha reads your school emails, read-only, and sends you and your nanny or helper one clear WhatsApp plan, updated when dates change. How Raha handles your email.
Start freeMarie, founder of Hey Raha
Comparing the Gulf? See our Saudi school holidays 2026-27 and Kuwait school holidays 2026-27 guides.
Related: Ramadan school timings in Qatar 2027 · how Dubai schools handle Ramadan · briefing your nanny or helper
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