Has the official academic calendar for Dubai schools been released?
Well, yes and no. Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority has yet to release this information on its website (expected in the coming week or two) however the authority has begun the process of approving the academic calendars of individual schools. WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has received the approved dates of these schools, which informs the information provided below.
Do all private schools in Dubai follow the same academic calendar?
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 the 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.
There are also 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.
How many days per year must Dubai schools be open for?
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. Private schools must be open for a minimum of 182 days in the 2023-24 school year.
Winter Term (Sep-Dec 2023)
| First Day of Term | Mon 28th August 2023 |
| Prophet’s Birthday (PH) | Fri 29th September 2023 |
| Half Term | Mon 16th/ Tue 17th– Fri 20th October 2023 |
| Commemoration Day (PH) | Fri 1st December 2023 |
| Last Day of Term | Fri 9 December 2023 |
| Winter Holiday | Mon 11th December – Sun 31st December 2023 |
| New Year’s Day (PH) | Mon 1st January 2024 |
Spring Term (Jan-Mar 2024)
| First Day of Term | Tue 2nd January |
| Half Term | Mon 12th – Friday 16th February |
| Last Day of Term | Fri 22nd March |
| Spring Holiday | Mon 25th March – Friday 5th April |
Summer Term (Apr – Jul 2024)
| First Day of Term | Mon 8th April |
| Eid Al Fitr* | Tue 9th – Friday 12th April |
| Eid Al Adha* | Mon 17th – Tuesday 18th June |
| Last Day of Term | Fri 5th July |