The summer holiday period in Dubai marks the longest break in the academic year, giving students and families time to relax travel and prepare for the next term. Schools across Dubai and the UAE generally follow a similar schedule with a break lasting around two months during the peak summer season.
For the 2025–2026 academic year, schools are scheduled to close on Friday July 3 2026, officially marking the end of the term. Classes are expected to resume towards the end of August depending on the institution’s academic calendar.
Authorities have also outlined the official school calendar for the coming years ensuring consistency in planning for parents and students. For the 2026–2027 academic year schools will reopen on August 31 2026 and conclude on July 2 2027. The 2027–2028 academic cycle is set to begin on August 30 2027 and end on June 30 2028. Meanwhile the 2028–2029 academic year will start on August 26 2028 and finish on June 29 2029.
These dates indicate that UAE schools will continue following a similar summer holiday pattern in the years ahead allowing families to plan vacations and activities well in advance.
In addition to the academic calendar updates there has been an important change to school admission age criteria. Starting from the 2026–2027 academic year the age cut-off for enrolling children in early education levels has been moved to December 31.
Under the revised guidelines children must meet the following age requirements by the end of the admission year. Pre-Kindergarten requires children to be three years old Kindergarten 1 requires four years Kindergarten 2 requires five years and Grade 1 requires children to be six years old.
This change replaces the previous August 31 cut-off and aims to standardize admission criteria across schools in the UAE.
With clear timelines and updated policies families in Dubai can better plan their children’s education schedules and make informed decisions for the upcoming academic years.