Termtime.ae

School year 2026–27

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Northern Emirates school term dates 2026–27

Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah school term dates, which follow the Ministry calendar without local variation.

  • 185school daysNorthern Emirates · All curricula
  • 9 weekslongest unbroken teaching stretch4 January – 5 March 2027
  • 54days away, summer not countedTerm-time breaks, weekends included.
  • 6dates awaiting a moon sightingEid Al Fitr break, Eid Al Adha break, Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year, Ramadan

In Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, the 2026–27 school year runs from 31 August 2026 to 2 July 2027, a total of 185 school days across three terms. Term 1 runs 31 August – 11 December 2026, 67 school days; Term 2 runs 4 January – 2 April 2027, 60 school days; Term 3 runs 12 April – 2 July 2027, 58 school days. Follow the MOE unified calendar directly. No separate emirate-level regulator. Term dates are set against the UAE Ministry of Education frame and regulated by MOE; Islamic holidays including Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha and the start of Ramadan are confirmed by moon sighting shortly beforehand and can move by a day.

The 2026–27 school year as weeks: one row per month, one cell per week. Each cell says how many teaching days the week holds and what else is on. Choose a week to read what it means.
MonthWeek 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5
August 2026
September 2026
October 2026
November 2026
December 2026
January 2027
February 2027
March 2027
April 2027
May 2027
June 2027
July 2027
  • Teaching week
  • Short week – a day or more off
  • Break
  • Public holiday
  • Outside the school year
  • Ramadan – school open, day shortened
  • Pressure point – the pastoral layer

The rules behind these dates

What your emirate and curriculum changeNorthern Emirates · All curricula

Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah (MOE). Follow the MOE unified calendar directly. No separate emirate-level regulator. The closest thing to a predictable calendar in the country.

All curricula. The national three-term frame, with no curriculum examinations drawn over it. Pick a curriculum to add its assessment windows, which are the dates most likely to override the local calendar.

Read the Northern Emirates page for the local rules in full.

The six dates still awaiting a moon sighting6 dates

Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.

  • Eid Al Fitr break – expected 8–12 March 2027
  • Eid Al Adha break – expected 17–18 May 2027
  • Eid Al Fitr – expected 9–12 March 2027
  • Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha – expected 15–18 May 2027
  • Hijri New Year – expected 6 June 2027
  • Ramadan – expected 8 February – 7 March 2027

They are badged Expected in the calendar and carry [expected] in the downloaded file, so a shifted date never lands silently in someone’s diary. What Ramadan does to the school day.

Every date, as a table185 school days
Term 1 67 school days · 13 teaching weeks
WhatDatesConfidence
Staff return24 August 2026Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.
Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday28 August 2026Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Falls on the Friday before students return. No school day lost.
Term 1 begins31 August 2026Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.
Autumn half term12–16 October 20269 days awayConfirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Private schools outside Sharjah may split this break into two shorter ones, to a five-day maximum. This is the single most variable week in the year.
Eid Al Etihad (UAE National Day)2–4 December 2026Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.The government public holiday is Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December. The MOE school calendar closes Wednesday to Friday, 2–4 December, which is what makes Term 1 total 67 days. Both statements are true; they are different things.
Term 1 ends11 December 2026Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.
Winter break14–31 December 202623 days awayConfirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Students return Monday 4 January 2027. Public-school staff return earlier, typically after a shorter break from 21 December.
Term 2 60 school days · 12 teaching weeks
WhatDatesConfidence
New Year’s Day1 January 2027Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Falls inside the winter break.
Term 2 begins4 January 2027Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.
Eid Al Fitr break8–12 March 20279 days awayExpected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.The school break is 8–12 March (5 school days), which is what makes Term 2 total exactly 60 days. The public holiday itself is expected 9–12 March. Moon-sighting dependent: the whole block can shift by a day or two.
Eid Al Fitr9–12 March 2027Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Moon-sighting dependent.
Term 2 ends2 April 2027Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.
Spring break5–9 April 20279 days awayConfirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.Sharjah schools list 5–8 April, a day shorter on paper.
Term 3 58 school days · 12 teaching weeks
WhatDatesConfidence
Term 3 begins12 April 2027Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.
Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha15–18 May 2027Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Moon-sighting dependent. The first two days fall on a weekend.
Eid Al Adha break17–18 May 20274 days awayExpected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Arafah Day plus Eid Al Adha. Moon-sighting dependent.
Hijri New Year6 June 2027Expected. Depends on moon sighting. Firm enough to plan around, not firm enough to book non-refundable travel around.Falls on a Sunday. No school day lost.
Term 3 ends2 July 2027Confirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.
Summer break5 July – 27 August 202758 days awayConfirmed. Published by the Ministry of Education or announced by UAE government. Safe to plan around.2027–28 begins Monday 30 August 2027.

Last verified . Islamic dates move with the moon sighting, so the badges say how firm each one is.

What this means in practice

The four northern emirates have no separate regulator setting term dates. Schools follow the Ministry of Education calendar directly, which makes this the simplest year in the country to plan.

That also makes this page the national frame in its purest form: what you see below is what the Ministry published, with nothing layered over it.

Private schools may still set their own half terms and inset days, which is the one thing worth checking locally.

Worth checking with your school: Your school’s half terms and inset days – everything else follows the national dates.

Questions people ask

When does the 2026–27 school year start in Northern Emirates?

Students return on Monday 31 August 2026. Staff go back a week earlier, on Monday 24 August 2026. Private schools may move the student start date by a few days, so check your own school’s letter before booking travel.

When does the 2026–27 school year end in Northern Emirates?

The last day is Friday 2 July 2027, and the summer break runs from the following day. 185 school days sit between the first day and the last.

Which of these dates could still change?

Six of them: Eid Al Fitr break, Eid Al Adha break, Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year and Ramadan. All are Islamic dates, which are confirmed by moon sighting a day or two beforehand rather than months in advance. They are marked as expected on this page and carry [expected] in the calendar file, so a date that shifts never lands silently in a diary.

Is there a February half term?

Not a national one. The Ministry frame has no February break, which is what makes the 9-week run from 4 January – 5 March 2027 the longest unbroken teaching stretch of the year. Some private schools set their own week; if yours does, switch it on in More options and the calendar redraws around it.

What is different about term dates in Northern Emirates?

Follow the MOE unified calendar directly. No separate emirate-level regulator. The closest thing to a predictable calendar in the country.

Do all Northern Emirates schools use the same term dates?

The three terms, the national holidays and the Ramadan window are the same for every school. Half terms, inset days and the exact first day back are set school by school within that frame, which is why two schools a mile apart can break up on different Fridays.