By Garrin Lambey
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has confirmed that this year’s June-July school holidays will begin following the end of the second term on Friday, 27 June.
Pupils will return to their desks on Tuesday, 22 July for Term 3.
That means a June-July holiday period of 24 days – including weekends.
School Term Dates
The 2025 school year is divided into four terms:
Term 1: 15 January to 28 March
Term 2: 8 April to 27 June
Term 3: 22 July to 3 October
Term 4: 13 October to 10 December
Prior to 2024, there was a difference in the term dates for inland and coastal schools.
In 2024 that changed to a calendar that was identical for all provinces. This remains the case in 2025.
The 2025 academic year will consist of 200 school days.
Terms 1 and 2 will have 52 days, Term 3 will be the longest at 53 days, while Term 4 will be the shortest with just 43 days.
