If you’ve got a kid in a Sharjah private school, or you’re picking one for next August, here’s the short version: back to school on August 31, 2026, out for the year on July 1, 2027, and just the two breaks in between. Nothing more complicated than that, really. What follows is every date SPEA has put out so far, and a bit on what to actually do with them once you have them.
SPEA, the Sharjah Private Education Authority, sets one calendar that basically every private school in the emirate follows, whether that’s British curriculum, American, IB, or something else.
There’s one carve-out though. Schools running the Indian or Pakistani curriculum work off a different academic year altogether, usually kicking off in April, so if that’s your child’s school, you can stop reading here, none of this is for you.
For everyone else, the calendar tends to come out early, giving schools time to build their lesson plans and exam schedules around it, and giving parents a head start on flights before prices start moving.
That said, a school here or there will shift a date by a day or so on its own, so it’s worth glancing at your own school’s circular before you book anything.
The year kicks off August 31, 2026. Come mid-December, winter break lands, starting the 14th, and running until school picks back up on January 4, 2027, roughly three weeks in total. Spring is a shorter affair, just the 5th through the 8th of April 2027, with everyone back in class by the 12th. Then it’s a straight run through to July 1, 2027, when the year wraps.
No mid-term break shows up anywhere on this one, unlike a few Dubai schools that build one into October.
There’s roughly three months without a single day off between the winter break ending and spring break starting, which is longer than it sounds once you’re actually living through it. If there’s something on your list that needs a full weekday, sorting a passport, a dental appointment, extra tutoring, that stretch is where school is least likely to get in the way.
The winter window is a different story, since it sits right in the thick of the holiday travel season and airfares tend to know it. Prices generally start climbing as December gets closer, so booking sometime in October, earlier if you can manage it, tends to work out cheaper. Spring break, being short and landing around the same week as most other UAE school calendars, is more about crowds than cost. Malls, parks, anywhere with a splash pad, all busier than usual that week.
Fairly close, though not a perfect match. Both Sharjah and the wider Ministry of Education calendar start the year on the same day, August 31, 2026, and track similarly from there. Where they part ways is that October mid-term break some Dubai schools keep, which just isn’t part of Sharjah’s private school calendar. Worth asking directly if you’re weighing schools in different emirates, rather than assuming one way or the other.
It’s also a year with more schools to choose from if Sharjah versus Dubai is even a question for your household. A few new schools are opening across both emirates for 2026-27, including a new IB school going into Sharjah’s Aljada community, so the calendar conversation and the school choice conversation tend to happen at the same time for a lot of families. If that’s where you’re at, our guide to new schools opening in Dubai and Sharjah covers fees and curriculums side by side.
Three weeks is enough for a proper trip if you get moving early, or enough to just stay home and not do much of anything. Either way, it’s worth glancing at the UAE weather forecast before locking in outdoor plans. Winter mornings run on the cooler side, sometimes damp, while April’s already climbing back toward warm.
Not travelling for spring break? Get any indoor plans booked sooner rather than later. Given how many schools across the country share that same week off, things fill up fast once everyone realises it at once.
When does the Sharjah school year start in 2026?
August 31, and that applies across every school under SPEA.
When is winter break for Sharjah schools?
It runs from December 14, 2026 to January 4, 2027, so students are back in the new year.
And spring break, for 2027?
April 5 through the 8th, with classes picking back up on the 12th.
When does the year actually end?
July 1, 2027 is the last day.
Do Indian and Pakistani curriculum schools follow this calendar too?
No, they don’t. Those schools run on their own academic year, separate from SPEA entirely, and it’s usually April to April rather than August to July.
Is this the same calendar Dubai schools use?
Close enough that the start date matches, August 31 for both, but not identical. Some Dubai schools tack on a mid-term break in October that Sharjah’s calendar skips, so it’s worth checking with the actual school rather than assuming either emirate does it the same way.
Disclaimer: School dates are based on the latest information released by the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA). Individual schools may adjust certain dates, so parents should always confirm the schedule directly with their school before making travel or activity plans.
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