Cape Town School Calendar

School Terms and School Holidays 

The Cape Town School Calendars below apply to most local schools in the Western Cape.

South African schools usually divide their academic year into four terms. In general, the school year starts mid of January and ends at the beginning of December. But dates may vary if your child visits a private (independent) school. Take note, that the American School in Cape Town has a completely different calendar which you will find below as well.

Please find below the updated school calendars for 2016 and 2017 for easy reference.

Cape Town School Calendar2016
Public Schools 

Public School Terms and Holidays

Public School Terms 2016 and Public School Holidays for 2016 are as follows:

Term 1: 13 January 2016 – 18 March 2016

--------Autumn Break: 19 March 2016 - 4 April 2016

Term 2: 5 April 2016 – 24 June 2016

--------Winter Break: 25 June 2016 - 17 July 2016

Term 3: 18 July 2016 – 30 September 2016

--------Spring Break: 1 October 2016 - 9 October 2016

Term 4: 10 October 2016 – 7 December 2016

--------Summer Break: 8 December 2016 - 10 January 2017

School Holidays 2016

19 Mar 2016 - 4 Apr 2016

25 Jun 2016 - 17 Jul 2016

1 Oct 2016 - 9 Oct 2016

8 Dec 2016 - 10 Jan 2017

Please note!

All public schools in the nine South African provinces will adhere to the same school calendar in 2016!

Cape Town School Terms 2016
Private Schools

Private, also called independent, schools in Cape Town may add some days either before or after the official state school holidays. The dates above refer to the public (state) schools' holidays as given by the Department of Education of the Western Cape and below you will find the ISASA (Independent Schools Association of South Africa) calendar which most independent schools follow. 

ISASA - Private Schools with 4 Terms

Private School Terms for 2016 are as follows (as proposed by ISASA): 

Term 1: 13 January 201 - 18 March 2016

Term 2: 5 April 2016 - 24 June 2016

Term 3: 19 July 2016 - 23 September 2016

Term 4: 11 October 2016 - 7 December 2016

ISASA Private Schools with 3 Terms

Private School Terms for 2016 are as follows (as proposed by ISASA): 

Term 1: 13 January 2016 - 8 April 2016

Term 2: 3 May 2016 - 5 August 2016

Term 3: 6 September 2016 - 7 December 2016

Different school holidays?

Beware if your children attend different (private) schools, the school holiday dates might differ significantly! One child might be off school when the other one already has to be back at school! So better know your term dates and plan your family's holidays accordingly.

Cape Town School Holidays for the American School (AISCT) 2016/2017

Term 3: 18 January 2016 - 24 March 2016

- School Holidays: 25 March 2016 - 4 April 2016

Term 4: 5 April 2016 - 15 June 2016

- School Holidays: 16 June 2016 - 2 August 2016

Term 1: 3 August 2016 - 30 September 2016

- Spring Break: 1 October 2016 - 10 October 2016

Term 2: 11 October 2016 - 9 December 2016

- Christmas Holidays: 10 December 2016 - 15 January 2017

Term 3: 16 January 2017 - 17 March 2017

- School Holidays: 18 March 2017 - 26 March 2017

Term 4: 27 March 2017 - 15 June 2017


What you should know...

The American School in Cape Town (AISCT) has a completely different school calendar, and adheres to the US American schools calendar. Find the term dates below.

Also the French School in Cape Town adheres to the European school calendar. Find more info on their school terms and holidays here.

Always check your child's school holiday calendar and view your specific private school's website for exact dates as the holiday dates above are given for reference only. 

Cape Town School Calendar 2017
Public Schools

Public School Terms 2017 and Public School Holidays for 2017 are as follows:

Term 1: 11 January 2017 – 31 March 2017

--------Autumn Break: 1 April 2017 - 17 April 2017

Term 2: 18 April 2017 – 30 June 2017

--------Winter Break: 1 July 2017 - 23 July 2017

Term 3: 24 July 2017 – 29 September 2017

--------Spring Break: 30 September 2017 - 8 October 2017

Term 4: 9 October 2017 – 6 December 2017

--------Summer Break: 7 December 2017 - 17 January 2018

School Holidays 2017

1 Apr 2017 - 17 Apr 2017

1 Jul 2017 - 23 Jul 2017

30 Sep 2017 - 8 Oct 2017

7 Dec 2017 - 17 Jan 2018

Please note!

All public schools in the nine South African provinces will adhere to the same school calendar in 2017!

Cape Town School Calendar and School Holidays in South Africa

Click to find holiday camps and fun activities for kids

The dates given above serve as a rough guideline and are important to know if you want to book your holidays, travels or flights to be aware about the peak travel seasons in South Africa. Check our page with the most popular holiday clubs and kids activities and let us know if you know of other great holiday and camp programmes.

Sources for this Cape Town School Calendar page:


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