Anyone raising a family in Western Australia knows the school calendar rules the household diary more than any app or wall planner ever could. Work leave gets booked around it, flights north to Broome get pricier because of it, and every parent WhatsApp group lights up the moment a term date gets tweaked. This guide lays out the WA public school term dates, the four holiday blocks, and every public holiday on the 2026 calendar, along with a few honest notes on how families actually use each break.
WA runs on its own rhythm. Because the state stretches from Esperance to the Kimberley and sits in its own time zone, the Department of Education’s calendar doesn’t always match what families see on eastern-states news broadcasts or interstate influencer posts. If you’ve got relatives in Sydney or Melbourne, or you’re coordinating a trip with cousins over east, the dates below are the ones that actually apply to WA public schools.
How the WA School Year Is Structured
Public schools in Western Australia run across four terms, set annually by the Department of Education and published in the Government Gazette. Independent and Catholic schools generally follow the same term dates but can shift pupil-free days, so it’s always worth a quick check of your own school’s calendar rather than assuming every campus in the state is in lockstep.
Each term runs for roughly nine to eleven weeks, with a short break in April, two mid-length breaks in July and the September–October window, and the long summer stretch from mid-December through to early February. Staff usually return a few days before students for professional learning and planning, which is why you’ll sometimes see a teacher-only date sitting just ahead of the first day back.
WA School Term Dates
| Term | Start Date | End Date | Approx. Length |
| Term 1 | Monday, 2 February | Thursday, 2 April | 9 weeks |
| Term 2 | Monday, 20 April | Friday, 3 July | 11 weeks |
| Term 3 | Monday, 20 July | Friday, 25 September | 10 weeks |
| Term 4 | Monday, 12 October | Thursday, 17 December | 10 weeks |
Teachers typically resume for professional development a few days ahead of students — expect a pupil-free day around 29 January, with students returning on the first Monday of February. Term 4 wraps up a touch earlier than the eastern states in some years, which occasionally surprises WA families holidaying with Victorian or NSW relatives who are still counting down their last week of school.
WA School Holiday Periods
Between each term sits a holiday block. These are the dates that matter most for booking flights, caravan parks and school holiday programs before the good slots disappear.
| Break | Start Date | End Date | Length |
| Autumn (April) holidays | Friday, 3 April | Sunday, 19 April | 17 days |
| Winter (July) holidays | Saturday, 4 July | Sunday, 19 July | 16 days |
| Spring (Sept/Oct) holidays | Saturday, 26 September | Sunday, 11 October | 16 days |
| Summer holidays | Friday, 18 December | Sunday, 31 January | 45 days |
A visual snapshot: how the breaks compare
The summer break dwarfs everything else on the calendar, running roughly three times longer than any single term break. Here’s how the four holiday periods stack up against each other in raw days off school.
Public Holidays in WA
Western Australia observes twelve public holidays, and a handful of them fall on weekends and trigger a substitute day the following Monday. Easter Sunday has been a gazetted public holiday in WA since 2022, which still trips up interstate visitors used to only Good Friday and Easter Monday being marked on the calendar.
| Public Holiday | Date | Day |
| New Year’s Day | 1 January | Thursday |
| Australia Day | 26 January | Monday |
| Labour Day | 2 March | Monday |
| Good Friday | 3 April | Friday |
| Easter Saturday | 4 April | Saturday |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April | Sunday |
| Easter Monday | 6 April | Monday |
| Anzac Day | 25 April | Saturday |
| Anzac Day (substitute) | 27 April | Monday |
| Western Australia Day | 1 June | Monday |
| King’s Birthday | 28 September | Monday |
| Christmas Day | 25 December | Friday |
| Boxing Day | 26 December | Saturday |
| Boxing Day (substitute) | 28 December | Monday |
Western Australia Day, held on the first Monday in June, marks the founding of the Swan River Colony in 1829 and has gone by a few names over the years — Foundation Day being the most recent before the current title stuck. You can read more on the holiday’s background via Wikipedia’s entry on Western Australia Day. Substitute-day rules for New Year’s Day, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are set out in full on the official WA Government public holidays page, which is worth bookmarking if you’re setting up a work roster around these dates.
Long Weekends and Bridge Days Worth Knowing About
A handful of 2026 public holidays line up nicely with a Friday off to stretch a normal weekend into a proper break. Taking a single day of annual leave on each of these dates turns them into four or five days away from the desk:
- Labour Day (2 March) — take Friday 27 February off for a four-day weekend.
- Easter (3–6 April) — take Thursday 2 April off for a five-day run without touching a full week of leave.
- Western Australia Day (1 June) — take Friday 29 May off for another four-day stretch.
- King’s Birthday (28 September) — take Friday 25 September off, which also lands right before the spring school holidays begin.
- Christmas and Boxing Day — take Thursday 24 December off for a five-day break running into the new year.
Making the Most of Each School Break
Autumn holidays
This break overlaps directly with Easter, so caravan parks and regional accommodation book out fast. Families chasing warmer, drier weather often use this window for the state’s north — the Pilbara and Kimberley are far more comfortable in April than in the middle of summer.
If a big outback trip is on the cards, our guide on how many days you need at Karijini is worth reading before you lock in dates — it breaks down realistic itineraries for one of WA’s most rewarding national parks.
Winter holidays
July in Perth and the South West can be genuinely cold and wet, which is exactly why this break tends to be the one families use for a proper interstate escape or a trip north to chase sunshine. It’s also a popular window for school holiday programs at museums, libraries and indoor attractions if travel isn’t on the agenda this time round.
Spring holidays
September and October bring some of WA’s best weather — warm enough for the coast, mild enough for hiking without the summer heat. It’s also a strong window for a road trip east if extended family is involved; families who’ve made the trip to regional Victoria often rate things to do in Mildura with kids and things to do in Warrnambool with kids as solid stops if the itinerary stretches that far.
Summer holidays
Six weeks is a long stretch to fill, and the trick most WA parents land on is mixing it up — a week or two away, a stint with grandparents, and a run of local days out closer to home. If the family ends up over east for part of the break and the weather turns, this local guide to arcades in Sydney is a handy option for a rainy-day fallback that still counts as an outing rather than another day on the couch.
How WA’s Calendar Compares to the Eastern States
Families juggling two states — a parent who works interstate, kids who split time between WA and NSW or Victoria — quickly notice the calendars don’t line up neatly. WA’s Term 1 tends to start a touch later than NSW, the mid-year break often falls in a slightly different week, and Term 4 can wrap up earlier than in Victoria. King’s Birthday is also held in a completely different month in WA compared to most other states, since Western Australia Day already claims the traditional June long weekend. None of this is a problem once it’s on the calendar — it’s just worth double-checking before booking flights that assume every state breaks up at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do WA public schools go back after the summer break?
Students return on Monday, 2 February. Teachers usually resume a few days earlier, around 29 January, for professional development and classroom setup.
How many weeks of school holidays does WA get in total?
Across the four breaks, WA students get roughly 13 weeks off school over the year, with the summer holidays alone accounting for about six of those weeks.
Do private and Catholic schools follow the same term dates as public schools?
Mostly, yes. Independent and Catholic schools generally align with the Department of Education calendar, though individual schools can add their own pupil-free days or shift a day here and there. Always check directly with your child’s school rather than assuming.
Is Easter Sunday actually a public holiday in WA?
Yes. WA added Easter Sunday as a gazetted public holiday in 2022, alongside the long-standing Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday holidays.
Why does WA celebrate King’s Birthday in September instead of June?
Because Western Australia Day already occupies the first Monday in June, the state moved its King’s Birthday public holiday to spring instead, avoiding a clash between the two long weekends.
What happens when a public holiday falls on a weekend?
New Year’s Day, Anzac Day and Christmas Day all shift to the following Monday if they land on a Saturday or Sunday. Boxing Day follows a slightly different rule — a Saturday triggers a Monday substitute, while a Sunday or Monday triggers a Tuesday substitute.
Which school holiday break is the longest in WA?
The summer holidays, running from mid-December to early February, are by far the longest at around 45 days. The other three breaks each run for roughly two to two and a half weeks.
Are pupil-free days the same as school holidays?
No. A pupil-free day is a single day within the term where students stay home while staff undertake training or planning. These sit outside the official holiday blocks and vary school to school.
Where can families find the official, government-confirmed WA term dates?
The Department of Education publishes the gazetted dates each year, and the WA Government’s public holidays page is the most reliable source for confirming both term dates and public holidays before locking in leave or travel.
Related Reading
More from OZ Kiwi Life to help plan around the school holiday calendar:
- How Many Days Do You Need at Karijini? Ultimate Travel Guide for Western Australia
- Things to Do in Mildura with Kids: A Local Family’s Honest Guide
- Things to Do in Warrnambool with Kids: A Local Family’s Honest Guide
- Best Arcades in Sydney: The Ultimate Local Guide to Game Rooms, Prizes and Family Fun
At OzKiwilife, Debashrita Majhi contributes fresh perspectives on lifestyle, technology, entertainment, and online culture. His writing style combines clarity, creativity, and real-world insights to connect with readers from different backgrounds. He is passionate about digital media, content marketing, and building valuable online resources that help people stay informed in a fast-changing world.
