School holiday

School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which schools are closed. The dates and periods of school holidays vary considerably throughout the world, and there is usually some variation even within the same jurisdiction. Governments often legislate on the total number of school days for state schools. The holidays given below apply to primary and secondary education. Teaching sessions (terms or semesters) in tertiary education are usually shorter.

Terminology

Christmas holiday

In predominantly Christian countries, the "Christmas holidays" (or "winter break" or "winter recess" in some countries) include both the Christmas and New Year holidays. They normally last for about 2–3 weeks. However the Christmas holiday in Europe is shorter, sometimes two weeks or slightly less. In the southern hemisphere, Christmas is in the summer holiday period and the break is much longer (5 to 14 weeks).

Easter

In countries with a Christian religious tradition, Easter holiday (in the United States it is sometimes known as Spring Break or Spring Vacation) is a school holiday that takes place in the northern spring, with the date varying by country and level of schooling.

Summer holiday

In all countries, the longest break in the school year is during summer, lasting between 5 and 14 weeks. In America, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania and Russia, summer holidays are normally three months, compared to six to eight weeks in Britain, The Netherlands and Germany.

Holidays in the world

Africa

South Africa

In South Africa, the main holiday usually lasts from early December to early or mid-January (5 or 6 weeks). There is an autumn break of up to 2-week in late March or early April, a longer winter break in late June and early July, and a spring break in late September or early October. [1]

Americas

Argentina

In Argentina, summer holidays start in early December and end in late February, with students returning to school in the last week of February or the first week of March. Winter holidays are generally 2 weeks in the month of July, returning to school the last week of July or the first week of August (those students who have failed subjects, must sitting examinations during December, usually the days before Christmas).

Brazil

In Brazil, summer holidays start in early December and end in late January or early February. Winter holidays are generally the entire month of July. Some schools in the tropical north follow a different school year. The Brazilian Carnival is 40 days before Easter Sunday and those dates are not school holidays.

Canada

In Canada, the summer holiday includes the months of July and August, with students returning to school in late August or early September. The Thanksgiving break is up to a week long and usually begins on the Saturday before the holiday. The winter break lasts for the two weeks (sometimes a day or two longer), beginning on Saturday, that encompass Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The spring break is one week long and normally begins on Good Friday (the Friday before Easter).

Mexico

In Mexico, school usually ends in the second week of July and resumes the third week of August depending on what scheduling system a school uses, and whether it is high school or college. Christmas holiday is 2 weeks. Also there is the Easter recess which lasts 2 weeks.

United States

In the United States, there are typically 180 school days in a year (although school years at colleges and universities are often shorter). Private schools tend to have classes for 170 days each year, but sometimes have them more or fewer days.

Event-based

• Thanksgiving Holiday or Break - Occurs at the end of November. This holiday usually consists of the week of Thanksgiving - the day before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, and the day after.. Some areas have the Monday and Tuesday of the Thanksgiving week as regular days and take Wednesday as an early dismissal day; with Thanksgiving and the day after off. Other schools take the whole week off and have an early release on the Friday before break.

• Christmas or Holiday Break - Varies in length per school; usually starts at the third Saturday in December and ends a day or two after New Year's Day (sometimes the first Monday after the New Year's Day), unless New Year's Day falls on a Sunday in which case the first Monday (January 2) is the official holiday and schools may not begin until January 3; the most recent occurrence of this was in the 2011-12 holiday break when January 1, 2012 fell on a Sunday. In the Southern hemisphere Christmas and the New Year are at the beginning of the long summer holiday.

• Martin Luther King Day Break - Martin Luther King Day is always on the third Monday of January each year. Some students have a full or half-day Friday and have the weekend, Martin Luther King day, and sometimes Tuesday off.

• Easter Break - Usually lasts for one or two weeks in March or April (often starting on Lazarus Saturday). Also referred to as Spring Break.

• Columbus Day Break - Columbus Day is always the second Monday in October. Many schools take a week off, though some areas only take Columbus Day itself off. In some states, however, Columbus Day is not observed as a school holiday at all.

Season-based

• Autumn or Fall Break - Usually lasts for one week in October (in the week of Columbus Day). See Columbus Day above.

• Winter Break - One week in February (usually at or around President's Day) or March (depending on the region).

• Spring Vacation or Break - See Easter Break above.

• Summer Vacation or Break - Lasts for about 12 weeks, starting anywhere from late May to late June, and ending anywhere from late August to the day after Labor Day in early September. This often depends on the region - for example, most schools in the Northeastern United States end in June and start just after Labor Day, while the majority of schools in the Southern U.S. have schools end in May and start again in August.

• Teacher's Day off - Exists in some school districts, being two to three days at any time in school calendar

• Inservice day(s) - Scheduled breaks for teachers to participate in in-season training or discussions, or to attend the state or national conventions held by a teacher's union.

• All federal and state holidays - That includes religious holidays, such as Good Friday; and sometimes Jewish and Islamic holidays, depending on school demographic.

• Snow days - (in regions where it snows in winter) - Usually is one or two days because of a snowstorm, but can last anywhere up to a full week.

Note: Often in Charter Schools breaks are shorter due to the extended number of days students spend in school (200 days vs. 180 days for standard public schools).

College breaks

Colleges and universities vary widely. Some closely follow the K-12 break schedule, others have the same but longer breaks to accommodate students who live farther away and wish to return home for holidays. Most colleges and universities have the following breaks/holidays:

• Thanksgiving Holiday - End of November (The week of Thanksgiving - 3 days before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, and the day after - the Friday before the break is considered a half-day).
• Christmas/Holiday Break - mid-December to late January
• Spring Break - a week in March or April (usually starting on Good Friday)
• Summer Break - Early/mid May to between late August and the day after Labor Day in September
• Snow Days (In regions where it snows in winter) - usually a few days up to a full week, and no days to make up.

Most colleges and university years are divided into two semesters. The first starting from day after Labor Day in early September until mid-December, and the second lasting from the end of January until early May. Winter and summer classes could be taken in between the breaks.

Asia

China

Summer holidays usually last from early July to end of August. The Chinese New Year is also a school holiday called winter holiday or winter break, which usually last 1 month.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong summer holidays last from mid-July to the end of August. Christmas, Lunar New Year and Easter holidays last usually for one and a half weeks.

India

In India, summer vacations start in the last of April to beginning of June.

The Diwali break begins in either October or November, depending on the month Diwali occurs in that year. It lasts for about 1 week. Christmas break begins a few days before Christmas and lasts till the weekend after New Year (also known as winter vacations).

There are many public holidays in India, depending on the region. Muslim holidays like Eid are enjoyed throughout the country by students of all religions.

Certain Holidays and mandated across the Nation.

January 26 : Republic Day August 15 : Independence Day October 2 : Gandhi Jayanti (Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi also known as the Father of the Nation)

Indonesia

In Indonesia, there are three main school holidays:

• New school year holiday - known as libur kenaikan kelas (up-grading holiday), usually takes place for 2–3 weeks between late June and early July. Dates are vary, depending on each province/region. The holiday starts from Monday in the first week to Saturday in the last week.
• Mid-term holiday, aims to separate the two semesters. It takes place for two weeks between late December and early January, coinciding with Christmas and New Year holidays. The starting and ending day are just like the new school year holiday.
• Eid al-Fitr holiday (or lebaran holiday), lasts for around two weeks. Date varies according to the Islamic calendar.

Beside the main holidays, there are many small holidays which takes place for 1–2 days, such as the Independence Day, religious breaks, and Teacher's Day.

Japan

In Japan, school holidays take place from late March to early April, from the late July until early September, and over the Christmas and New Year period from December 24 to January 7. Additionally there is a full holiday week in May called "Golden Week."

Korea

Summer vacations and winter vacations are usually similar in length, lasting about 1 month each. There is also spring vacation which lasts about 2 weeks. In addition, there are a couple of 3-5 day long holidays per year, including "Chuseok" which is in fall and "Seolnal" which is in late winter.

Malaysia

There are two main school holidays. The mid-year holidays last for two weeks, from late May until mid-June, in between the two school terms. The year-end holidays last for six weeks, from mid-November until early January, in between two school years. Each school term has a mid-term break; one week in March for the first semester and one week in September for the second semester.

Schools are closed on national and state public holidays. Schools are allowed to have a few special holidays without replacement for events such as school anniversary and sports day. For festivities such as Hari Raya Puasa, Chinese New Year and Deepavali, schools usually apply for additional holidays to allow longer breaks for students to visit relatives in their hometowns. However, every day missed exceeding the special holiday allowance would be replaced by having classes on weekends.

Philippines

In the Philippines, summer break starts from the late March to early June, semestral break starts from late October to early November, and Christmas break starts from mid December to early January. Event-based holidays are declared by the President (for national holidays) and the provincial governor or city mayor for local holidays through the Department of Education (DepEd) for Basic Education and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for Colleges.

Singapore

In Singapore, there are four school terms. Terms 1 and 2 are referred to as Semester 1, as terms 3 and 4 are referred to as Semester 2. Each term consists of ten school weeks. Term 1 starts the day immediately after New Year's Day. If the first school day is a Thursday or a Friday, it is not counted as a school week. After term 1, there is a break of a week, called the March Holidays. Thereafter, term 2 commences and is followed by a break of four weeks, the June Holidays. It is followed by term 3, after which there will be another break of one week, the September Holidays. Then, term 4 would start, and after it there is the December holidays, which would be either five or six weeks long, depending on whether the first week of the year was counted as a school week. Students are also given days off on public holidays, as well as Children's Day, Youth's Day, Teacher's Day and the day after National Day.

Turkey

Winter holidays last from late January to early February (2 weeks). Summer holidays last from early June to mid September (14 weeks).

• January 1 - New Year
• April 23 - National Sovereignty and Children's Day
• May 1 - Labour and Solidarity Day
• May 19 - Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day
• August 30 - Victory Day
• October 29 - Republic Day

There are Ramadan Feast (3 days) and Sacrifice Feast (4 days) holidays, but dates of these holidays changing every year because Ramadan & Sacrifice Feasts are calculated according to Muslim calendar. If these feasts are at the middle of the week, then the break becomes a full week break with the Arefe (the day before the feast) day.

Europe

Austria

In Austria, the summer holidays are usually between early July and early September. There is, with the exception of Vorarlberg and Salzburg, no Autumn break but there a Christmas break (from December 24 until January 6) and an Easter break (lasts for 10 days). The mid-term break in February lasts for a week and the Whitsun break lasts for 4 days including the weekend. There are also free days during religious holidays (Assumption, Ascension, Corpus Christi etc.).

Belgium

For primary schools, the summer holiday in Belgium starts on July 1 (one or two days earlier if the 1st is a weekend day) and ends on September 1 (2 or 3rd if the 1st is a weekend day). Secondary schools and universities often close about a week earlier, as soon as school results have been processed and published. A week of autumn break is usually scheduled during the week of all-saints, November 1. The winter- or Christmas holiday lasts two weeks and encompasses both Christmas and New Year's Day. The dates for both the one-week spring break and the two week Easter holiday vary. In catholic regions where carnival is celebrated, spring break usually takes place during the carnival week. To get al balance in school days between spring break and summer holiday, the two weeks of Easter holiday can take place with Easter both at the beginning, the middle or the end of the holiday period. In some cases, when Easter is at the complete end of the holiday, Easter Monday serves as an additional day off.

Croatia

In Croatia, there are three breaks throughout the school year at public schools.

• Summer break runs from mid-June to early September.
• Winter (Christmas) break starts several days before December 25 and ends after January 6.
• Spring (Easter) break lasts about 10 days.

Other free days include public holidays and local patron saint days.

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, the summer holidays begin at the end of the school year on June 30 and end at the start of the school year in the first week of September. Then there are autumn holidays: two days plus October 28 (the date of the proclamation of Czechoslovakia). The winter (Christmas) holidays last usually from December 23 to January 2. There is also a one-day half term holiday on January 31. The spring holidays are a week long and may occur in February or March, depending on the region, sometimes they continue with Easter holidays (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday). There are also free days such as May 1, May 8 and September 28. The school director is authorised to add up to three more free days during the school year. The school holidays are determined by the Ministry of Schools for each school year and are valid for every basic and high school.

Denmark

In Denmark the summer holiday lasts 6 weeks. Most schools also have one week of winter holiday and one week of autumn holiday, usually in February and October respectively. Finally, the schools are closed from just before Christmas until just after New Year.

Estonia

In Estonia, summer holidays last for three months from June to August. Christmas holidays last for two weeks, autumn and spring holidays are each one week.

France

French school holidays are scheduled each year by the Ministry of Education. This can lead to overcrowding in tourist resorts such as the Mediterranean coast and the ski resorts.

To alleviate this problem, the holiday schedules are staggered by dividing the country into three zones. Despite these measures, the synchronized school holiday schedules still cause some crowding effects, as families head to popular holiday locations all at the same time. This can result in price increases and availability problems in some locations during the school holiday periods. Holidays are divided into three separate zones except for the first two holidays: All Saints and the Christmas / New Year.

Main article: French school holidays

Germany

In Germany, summer holidays are mostly between July and late August, with regional differences. Some regions begin as soon as early to mid June, some end as late as the middle of September. They last 6 weeks. Other holidays are around Easter (2 weeks), in autumn (1–2 weeks) and from mid- to end-December to the beginning of January (2 weeks). Depending on the state, further holidays can be around Pentecost or in winter between the first and the second half of the school year.

Greece

In Greece, there are three breaks throughout the school year at public schools.

• Summer holidays run from June to September. Holidays begin between June 10 and 20, and end around September 11.
• Christmas holidays begin around December 23 and end around January 8 (about 2 weeks).
• Easter holidays last 2 weeks, starting at the weekend before Holy Week, and ending one week after Easter Sunday.

Ireland

The dates for the start and the end of the school year at both primary and post-primary level are not fixed, but mid-year breaks are standardised. Due to the start of certificate exams, post-primary schools are usually not open for tuition after the Friday before the June public holiday (the first Monday in June) in any year. The school year generally starts in the week in which September 1 falls, with a minimum of 183 teaching days in primary schools but only 167 days in secondary schools.

There are mid-term breaks in October and February, which last one week. There are two-week breaks at Christmas/New Year as well as at Easter. Summer holidays start around the last week of May or the first week of June for secondary schools, or the end of June for primary education, and end around the last week in August or the first week in September. The Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate exams start on the first Wednesday in June, and last for two and a half weeks, intruding on students' summer holidays.

Italy

In Italy, most school holidays are determined by the Ministry of Education, University and Research, and are valid for all public schools of every order and grade. There are summer holidays from mid June up to the second week of September, except for students taking final exams in the Elementary, Middle and Superior schools, as those exams can go on until mid July. Christmas holidays start on December 23 and end on the first or second working day after January 6;the summer holidays in Italy about 12 weeks, other holidays include one week around Easter as well as one day on December 8 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), two days for October 31 and November 1 (All Saints), the national holidays of April 25 (Liberation day) and June 2 (Republic Day), as well as the Workers' Day (May 1). Locally, school authorities have freedom upon the establishment of the lessons calendar to grant further vacation days on important local festivals (e.g. the local Patron saint day).

Lithuania

In Lithuania summer holiday for 9th and 11th grade begins few days later than 10th and 12th grade students. This is due to exams for those grades. In the past, upper level Lithuanian student had around 70 days of holiday. However, now the holiday lasts almost three months.

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, summer holidays last for six weeks for all Schools. The country is divided in three regions which start their summer holidays one week after another. Summer holidays usually start in mid-July and end in late August. Dutch elementary and high school students also have a one-week autumn holiday in mid October, two weeks of Christmas holidays, usually the last two weeks of December, as well as one week "crocus/spring holidays" in February (for the south during Carnaval), and "May holidays", which last one week for high schools and two weeks for elementary schools. May holidays span a period of national holidays such as King's Day (former Queen's Day) (April 27), Remembrance of the Dead (May 4) and Liberation Day (May 5) and sometimes include Ascension Day and Pentecost.

Norway

In Norway, school holidays vary by region. Generally, the school year starts around the third week of August. Most regions have a week off at the beginning of October (weeks 40 or 41). Christmas holidays start some days before Christmas Eve and end in the first week of January. There is one week of winter vacation in late February (weeks 8 or 9). Easter holiday is from Palm Sunday to Easter Monday or a day or two later, and Summer holidays begin some days before midsummer. [2]

Poland

All public schools have the following breaks/holidays:

• November 1 - All Saints Day, 1 day break
• November 11 - Independence Day, 1 day break
• January 6 - the Epiphany, 1 day break
• Christmas Break - Christmas Eve or the weekend before to first day of the school week after New Year's Day
• Winter Break - two weeks in January or February (depending on region)
• Easter Break - Maundy Thursday to the Tuesday after Easter Monday
• May Break - May 1 (Labor Day), May 2 (Polish Flag Day) and May 3 (Constitution of May 3)
• Corpus Christi - four days in May or June (depending on year)
• Summer Break - usually last Friday of June to the end of August (or the first school week day after)

Romania

Summer holidays run from June to early September and are around 12 weeks long. Spring break - one week in April or May (it depends on when Easter is in that year) Winter break - two weeks ( it starts in the penultimate week of December and it usually ends on the first or second Monday of January)

There is a break in February between the first and the second semester - one week

Fall Break (just for the primary school) - one week in October

Russian Federation

All public schools have the following holidays:

• Winter Break - two weeks in January
• Spring Break - one week in April
• Fall Break - one week in November
• Summer Break - from May 25 to September 1
• February 23 - Men's Day or Defender's Day
• March 8 - International Women's Day
• May 1 - Spring and Labour Day
• May 9 - Victory Day
• November 4 - Day of the National Unity

Slovakia

In Slovakia, summer holidays begin at the end of school year on June 30 and end at the start of the school year in the first week of September. The autumn holidays are at the end of October. The winter (Christmas) holidays usually last from December 22 to January 6. There is also a one-day half term holiday on January 31. The spring holidays are a week long and may be in February or March, depending on region. Next are the Easter holidays (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday). There are also free days such as May 1, May 8, September 1, September 15, and November 17. The school director is authorised to add up to three more free days during school year. The school holidays are determined by the Ministry of Schools and are valid for every basic and high school.

Slovenia

In Slovenia, Summer holidays begin on June 24 (June 25 is National day, which is also a public holiday) and end on September 1. Other holidays are usually one week long, they expand if national holidays fall on the work days. The Autumn holidays ("Krompirjeve počitnice" - "Potato holidays") begin around October 31, which is Reformation day and November 1 which is called "All Souls Day". The New Year holidays usually start around Christmas and last until January 1. January 2 was once a work and school free day, but that's no longer the case. In the middle of February there are Winter holidays, which are divided into two parts. In each part there are other parts of Slovenian students who have holidays. The second part of the Winter holiday usually ends at the end of February. The shortest holidays are First May holidays, as their name suggests they begin on around May 1 (usually on April 27 which is Uprising Against the Occupation Day which is also national holiday) and last until May 2, which is also a national holiday. There are also free days such as February 8 (Slovenian cultural festival - Prešeren Day) and Easter Monday, other national holidays like August 15 (Feast of the Assumption) fall on school holidays and are more important to adults. Students from last year of Primary and Secondary schools usually start Summer holidays one week earlier due to the final exams. This holidays are valid for Primary and Secondary schools only and are determined by the Ministry of Schools. University students however have Summer holidays till October 1 and usually have only one holiday and that is the New Year holiday but it depends on every single college which days will be free for students. For example, in year 2015 most university students also had First May holidays. Short holidays usually begin after exams and depend on how good students are writing their exams or how many exams they've taken for each term. Most of the time university students have holidays on national holidays.

Sweden

In Sweden, the school year starts around mid or late August (September 1 at the universities). The week before All Saint's Day (taken as a Saturday around November 2) primary and secondary school students have an autumn holiday. Christmas holiday starts around December 15–16, depending on the day of the week on which Christmas Eve occurs. It usually ends in the second week of January (January 6 is also a public holiday). In the 8th–10th weeks after New Year, primary and secondary school students have one week of winter vacation; the exact week varies by location. Easter public holidays last four days from Friday to Monday. Easter school holidays are either the week preceding Easter or the week immediately following, depending on location. Primary and secondary school summer holidays last about ten weeks, starting in the second week of June.

United Kingdom

School holidays in the United Kingdom follow a standard pattern, with a school year of 190 days of teaching, beginning with the Autumn Term, but the exact timing varies between countries and counties.Schools set their own school holidays, but most state schools follow the pattern recommended by their local authority. Independent private schools tend to set longer holidays than state schools.

England and Wales

Summer holidays in State schools are usually six or seven weeks long, starting in late July and ending in early September. Schools have Christmas and Easter holidays, each usually lasting about two weeks. The school year is split up into three sections: Autumn term (between Summer and Christmas); Spring term (between Christmas and Easter); and Summer term (between Easter and the Summer holiday). Roughly halfway through each term, pupils will get one week off school, known as half-term.

Independent schools often have longer holidays including up to 10 weeks for Summer, but often have longer school days and sometimes lessons on Saturday mornings.

See School Holidays in England for the impact of school holidays on tourism and life for parents and others.

Scotland

In Scotland the academic year usually begins in the third week of August. In October, there are one or two weeks off, which is the half-way point between Summer and Christmas holidays. The Christmas holiday usually begins a few days before December 25 and ends a few days after January 5. There is up to a week off half-way through the Spring term and a two-week break for Easter. After Easter is Summer term and the 3rd half term break is the halfway point to the summer holidays. The summer holiday usually begins at the end of June for most pupils in primary 1–7 and secondary years 1–3. Years 4, 5, and 6 have a period of exam leave at the end of May or early June, but may return for the last few weeks before the summer holiday starts.

Northern Ireland

Schools in Northern Ireland have similar school holidays to those in the Republic of Ireland. Schools in Northern Ireland have shorter mid-term breaks than those in the rest of the UK and, to substitute, a longer summer holiday, with the entirety of July and August off.

Oceania

Australia

In most Australian schools there are four terms separated by breaks. The summer holidays start in mid-December and last until the beginning of February for most schools. In year 12, however, the term ends in November; for those who go on to university, the term starts in March. There is a two-week autumn holiday in April (often incorporating the Easter public holidays), and another two weeks in late June or early July. The September Holidays are also two weeks, typically from late September. The main exception to the four-term structure used to be Tasmania, which had three academic terms, with school holidays in early June and September, but is moving to a 4 Term Year in 2013.

New Zealand

The New Zealand school year is divided into four terms, previously three. The four term year begins in late January, and ends in late November for secondary schools and mid-December for primary schools. Current school terms and holidays from 2014 are listed by the Ministry of Education.

Common practices and effects

Summer holidays for most children are a time to relax, enjoy themselves, and catch up on studies, or to spend time with family or relatives. Many families travel together on school holidays. The old purpose of the summer break, to free children to help with the harvest, is now relevant only in a minority of farming and rural families in most countries.

School holidays have many effects on a country, ranging from the price of travel and holiday accommodation, which increase as demand increases while children are off school, to a change in crime rate: Example UK crime rate monthly figures. Traffic congestion and heavy passenger loads on public transport on school run routes may be worse on school days during term time. The number of families taking holidays away from urban areas can reduce traffic and use of public transport in cities while loading long-distance highways and means of transport.

In some countries, including Germany, France and Australia, where many families travel to their holiday destinations, the start and end dates of school holidays in different regions are staggered to reduce the heavy traffic and pressure on means of transport that would otherwise occur on these dates.