South Australia School Term Dates and Holidays 2026 to 2030

South Australia's Department for Education has published state school term dates through 2030. This guide presents every currently published year from 2026 onward, plus the school holiday ranges and public holiday dates that official South Australian sources currently provide.

The term tables apply to South Australian state schools. Dates for Catholic and independent schools can differ, and student-free days are arranged locally. Confirm your child's own school calendar before booking travel, care or appointments.

You can also use the BestSchools school holiday calendars when comparing dates across Australia.

South Australian state school term dates for 2026

South Australian state school term dates for 2027

South Australian state school term dates for 2028

South Australian state school term dates for 2029

South Australian state school term dates for 2030

Officially published South Australia school holiday periods

The Department for Education explicitly lists the four 2026 holiday periods. SafeWork SA also publishes 2027 and 2028 school holiday dates for reference, while noting that school holidays are outside SafeWork SA's jurisdiction.

How to interpret school holidays for 2029 and 2030

The Department's future term table gives exact term starts and finishes for 2029 and 2030, but the page does not separately label holiday ranges for those years. In practical terms, students are normally outside the published term period after one term finishes and before the next begins. However, this article does not turn those gaps into claimed official holiday ranges. Check the Department page and your school closer to the year for a current calendar, student-free days and any local arrangements.

In 2028, the autumn break begins on Friday 14 April 2028 because Term 1 finishes on Thursday 13 April 2028. It is therefore important to follow the exact weekday and date rather than assuming every break starts on a Saturday.

Student-free days, teacher duty days and school closures

South Australian student-free days are not all fixed in the statewide term table. The Department's official procedure says that:

• A principal can approve, with governing council endorsement, up to three student-free days during the school year for school management, planning or staff development. Small schools with two or three teaching staff, including the principal, can have up to four.
• For 2025 to 2029, schools can access two additional student-free days for specified public education, curriculum and early-years planning priorities.
• Dates are scheduled on the principal's recommendation, and parents must receive at least one month's notice of an approved student-free day.
• The student-free day allowance does not include the two days on which teachers must be on duty before the school year begins.

The exact non-attendance dates can therefore vary by school. Do not add a pupil-free day to your family calendar until your school confirms it. The special additional arrangement is stated only through 2029 in the current procedure, so this guide does not assume it continues in 2030.

South Australia public holidays for 2026 to 2028

SafeWork SA currently publishes public holiday schedules through 2028. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are part-day public holidays from 7pm to midnight. The dates below preserve additional holidays where SafeWork SA lists them.

SafeWork SA explains that Anzac Day remains a public holiday on 25 April and does not receive a substitute or additional public holiday when it falls on a weekend. It also explains the additional-day rules for New Year's Day, Christmas Day and the Proclamation Day holiday.

What about public holidays in 2029 and 2030?

The official SafeWork SA page and linked government PDF currently cover dates only to 2028. Public holiday dates for 2029 and 2030 have therefore not been added or calculated here. Check the SafeWork SA public holidays page when planning those years. This avoids presenting dates calculated from recurring patterns as if they had been officially published.

Government and non-government school dates can differ

The term tables in this guide are for South Australian state schools. Catholic and independent schools can choose different dates, professional learning days or early finishes. Use the individual school's calendar as the final authority.

For more context about school stages, see the South Australia school year levels guide and the Australian school year levels state guide.

Planning tips for South Australian families

1. Check student-free days with the school. They are locally scheduled and do not all appear in the statewide term calendar.
2. Watch the end-of-year dates. In 2026 the official summer holiday listing runs to Wednesday 27 January 2027, while the 2027 school term table begins on Wednesday 27 January 2027. Because that published wording creates an apparent same-day overlap, confirm the first student attendance day with the school rather than resolving it by assumption.
3. Use only published public holiday years. SafeWork SA currently provides dates through 2028, while state school terms extend through 2030.
4. Build flexibility into travel bookings. School-level arrangements can add non-attendance days.
5. Start enrolment planning early. Read the Australian school enrolment step-by-step guide and school enrolment timeline Australia.
6. Check address and interstate implications. The guides to school zones and catchments and moving schools between states can help.

Related BestSchools guides

• School holiday calendars
• Australian school enrolment step-by-step guide
• School enrolment timeline Australia
• Moving schools between states
• School zones and catchments
• South Australia school year levels guide

Sources

All date claims above were checked against official South Australian Government sources.

• South Australian Department for Education, state school terms for 2026 to 2030 and official 2026 holiday dates: https://www.education.sa.gov.au/students/term-dates-south-australian-state-schools
• SafeWork SA, official public holiday schedules for 2026 to 2028 and reference school holiday dates for 2027 and 2028: https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/resources/public-holidays
• SafeWork SA, government PDF covering public holidays from 2025 to 2028: https://www.safework.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1237244/Public-Holidays-2025-2028.pdf
• South Australian Department for Education, Organising the school and preschool year, closure days and early dismissals procedure: https://www.education.sa.gov.au/policies/shared/organising-the-school-and-preschool-year-closure-days-and-early-dismissals-procedure.pdf

Source coverage checked: state school term dates for 2026 to 2030; explicitly published school holiday ranges for 2026 to 2028; public holidays for 2026 to 2028; official student-free day policy and its 2025 to 2029 additional-day provision. Public holiday dates and separately labelled school holiday ranges beyond the official coverage have not been inferred.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the South Australian school term dates for 2026?

How far ahead are South Australian state school term dates published?

Are 2029 and 2030 school holiday ranges official?

Are pupil-free days the same at every South Australian state school?

Does Anzac Day get a Monday substitute in South Australia?

Do private and Catholic schools use these term dates?