Families planning leave, childcare and travel need to know where the authoritative dates are published and what rules sit behind them. This guide covers Queensland state schools only, and it does not give Catholic or independent school dates. Every date below is reported as shown on Queensland Department of Education pages at 10 November 2026, and each page’s own last-updated date is given beside it.
Where the official dates are published
At 10 November 2026, the Department of Education’s “School holidays and term dates” page describes itself as listing current term dates, staff professional development days and school holidays. The page shows a last-updated date of 22 January 2026. It also offers a download of the 2026 school calendar.
Dates for later years sit on a separate page. The term dates page says that dates for 2027, 2028 and 2029 are listed on its future school dates page. At 10 November 2026, that future dates page lists term dates, staff professional development days and school holidays from 2027 onwards. It shows a last-updated date of 19 June 2026.
How the school year is built
At 10 November 2026, the Department’s school holidays page (last updated 22 January 2026) says that Queensland state schools provide for 40 school weeks each year, with the rare exception of a 41-week year on a cyclical basis. It also says that student holidays are based on an annual 2-semester timetable. The page sets out four holiday blocks.
- Summer holiday: 6 weeks during the Christmas period.
- Easter holiday: 2 weeks before, following or inclusive of the Easter public holidays.
- Winter holiday: 2 weeks at the end of Semester 1.
- Spring holiday: 2 weeks in the middle of Semester 2.
The same page says the 4 school terms are set to ensure they are as balanced in length as possible, averaging 10 weeks for each term and avoiding unduly long terms.
The earlier summer start in some areas
The school holidays page says that some schools begin the summer holiday 1 week before schools in other parts of the state. A separate Department page, also last updated 22 January 2026, says that some of Queensland’s state schools have a 7-week summer holiday starting 1 week before the rest of Queensland. One way a school is identified is by being a state school situated north of 16 degrees south latitude and west of 144 degrees east longitude. At 10 November 2026, the page says there are currently 69 state schools with student enrolments that meet 1 of its 2 criteria. It adds that campuses of the listed schools also receive a 7-week summer holiday.
When each year level finishes
The school holidays page gives separate finishing rules by year level. It says Prep to Year 9 in state schools and all year levels in special schools finish on the last day of Term 4. It says that, except in special schools, Years 10 and 11 finish usually 2 weeks and sometimes 3 weeks before the end of Term 4. For Year 12, it says that, except in special schools, Year 12 finishes usually 3 and sometimes 4 weeks before the end of Term 4.
The extra show holiday
The page says that in addition to school holidays and public holidays, schools close for 1 extra day each year. It says this extra day will be either an appointed show holiday or a day off in lieu of no appointed show holiday. It also says that an additional day will not be allocated in a location where a show holiday falls within the scheduled school holidays.
Staff professional development days
The Department’s staff professional development page (last updated 22 January 2026) says Queensland state schools undertake 5 staff professional development days (25 hours) throughout the year. It lists them as follows:
- 2 days at the end of the summer holidays (fixed).
- 2 days during the Easter holidays (flexible).
- 1 day in the third last week of Term 3 (fixed*) on the student free day.
The page says the Term 3 day is also fixed, however may be converted to flexible following consultation with the Local Consultative Committee (LCC). It says students are not required to attend school on the student free day in the third last week in Term 3, which is an allocated staff professional development day. For the flexible hours, it says schools are able to position them during any school holiday period or at any time outside of school hours, according to their workforce needs and arrangements. It says arrangements for staff professional development days must be finalised by the end of the previous year. It adds that, as required, the Minister for Education may approve staff professional development days for specific professional development opportunities.
What the published dates show for late 2026 and 2027
At 10 November 2026, per the term dates page (last updated 22 January 2026), 2026 Term 4 runs Tuesday 6 October to Friday 11 December, 10 weeks. The page lists the Term 4 school holidays as Saturday 12 December to Tuesday 26 January 2027, 46 days.
At 10 November 2026, per the future dates page (last updated 19 June 2026), the 2027 school terms are listed as follows:
- Term 1: Wednesday 27 January to Thursday 25 March, 9 weeks.
- Term 2: Monday 12 April to Friday 25 June, 11 weeks.
- Term 3: Monday 12 July to Friday 17 September, 10 weeks.
- Term 4: Tuesday 5 October to Friday 10 December, 10 weeks.
The same page lists the 2027 staff professional development days as Thursday 21 January, Friday 22 January and Monday 25 January in Term 1 (3 days). It lists Thursday 8 April to Friday 9 April in Term 2 (2 days). It lists Friday 3 September in Term 3 (1 day).
For 2027 school holidays, the page lists Friday 26 March to Sunday 11 April (17 days). It lists Saturday 26 June to Sunday 11 July (16 days). It lists Saturday 18 September to Monday 4 October (17 days). It lists Saturday 11 December to Sunday 23 January 2028 (44 days).
For 2029 Term 4, the page says the end of holidays is to be published when approved by the Minister.
Where to check
At 10 November 2026, the Department’s term dates page is the page for current dates, and it points to the future school dates page for 2027, 2028 and 2029. Both pages show their own last-updated dates, 22 January 2026 and 19 June 2026 respectively.
Related reading on this site: Queensland School Term Dates for 2027, Brisbane School Holidays: A Planning Guide for Parents, and How Queensland Public Holidays Work.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Queensland Department of Education publish term dates?
At 10 November 2026, the Department’s School holidays and term dates page lists current term dates, staff professional development days and school holidays, and says dates for 2027, 2028 and 2029 are on its future school dates page.
How many weeks of school do Queensland state schools provide each year?
At 10 November 2026, the Department’s school holidays page says Queensland state schools provide for 40 school weeks each year, with the rare exception of a 41-week year on a cyclical basis.
How many staff professional development days do state schools have?
At 10 November 2026, the Department says Queensland state schools undertake 5 staff professional development days (25 hours) throughout the year, and lists 2 days at the end of the summer holidays (fixed), 2 during the Easter holidays (flexible) and 1 in the third last week of Term 3.
When does 2027 Term 1 start for Queensland state schools?
At 10 November 2026, per the Department’s future school dates page (last updated 19 June 2026), 2027 Term 1 runs Wednesday 27 January to Thursday 25 March.
