2025 South African School Calendar

by Staff Reporter

The Department of Education has officially launched the proposed school calendar for 2025. You know what that means: It’s time to start planning for all the academic activities that lie ahead.

Between extracurriculars, matric exams and school holidays, there are plenty of important dates to add to your diaries.

Not sure where to begin?  Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a look at what the 2025 School Calendar has in store:

Table of Contents

learners writing matric exams in 2025 school calendar year

2025 School Calendar: Public School 

The proposed 2025 school calendar has officially been released for public schools.

The Department of Basic Education has summarised the 2025 school year as follows: 

  • 43 weeks
  • 209 (213) days
  • 6+3 public holidays
  • 200 (204) school days

The new calendar shows that the the Department of Education has added an additional three holidays, due to the ‘special school holidays’ that will take place in the year.  This is an update to previous years, such as the 25 days that have been planned for 2024, and 32 days in 2023.

The reason for the extra days is due to the Public Holidays Act of 1994. According to Section 2(1) of the Act, “whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the followiing Monday shall be a public holiday.”

More time off means that learners and teachers alike will have more time to relax, unwind and recoporate, allowing them to tackle the remainder of the year with a fresh mindset. 

With that said, let’s see what the school calendar has in store for the year 2025.

learner attending class during 2025 school calendar year

2024 Calendar for Public Schools

The 2025 school year begins on 15 January 2025 in Term 1 and will end on 12 December 2025 during Term 4. Keeping those dates in mind, here is what the 2025 school calendar looks like for public schools this year:

Term 1

Public holiday: New Year’s Day                                                                               Wednesday, 1 January 2025

Administration days                                                                                                                 13-14 January 2025

Term 1

Schools start                                                                                                             Wednesday, 15 January 2025

Schools end                                                                                                                           Friday, 28 March 2025

Public holiday: Human Rights Day                                                                                    Friday, 21 March 2025

School holidays                                                                                                                   29 March – 7 April 2025

Term 2

Term 2

School starts                                                                                                                           Tuesday, 8 April 2025

School ends                                                                                                                              Friday, 27 June 2025

Public holiday: Good Friday                                                                                                   Friday, 18 April 2024

Public holiday: Family Day                                                                                                 Monday, 21 April 2025

Public holiday: Freedom Day                                                                                               Sunday, 27 April 2025

Special School Holiday                                                                                                       Tuesday, 29 April 2025

Special School Holiday                                                                                                 Wednesday, 30 April 2025

Public holiday: Workers’ Day                                                                                              Thursday, 1 May 2025

Special School Holiday                                                                                                              Friday, 2 May 2025

Public holiday: Youth Day                                                                                                  Monday, 16 June 2025

Public holiday                                                                                                                       Monday, 17 June 2024

School holidays                                                                                                                    28 June – 21 July 2024

learners walking to school

Term 3

Term 3

School starts                                                                                                                         Tuesday, 22 July 2025

School ends                                                                                                                           Friday, 3 October 2025

Public holiday: National Women’s Day                                                                          Saturday, 9 August 2025

Public holiday: Heritage Day                                                                            Wednesday, 24 September 2025

School holidays                                                                                                                        6 – 10 October 2025

Term 4

Term 4

School starts                                                                                                                   Monday, 13 October 2025

School ends                                                                                                          Wednesday, 10 December 2025

Administration Days                                                                                                             11-12 December 2025

Public holiday: Day of Reconciliation                                                                    Tuesday, 16 December 2025

Public holiday: Christmas Day                                                                               Thursday, 25 December 2025

Public holiday: Day of Goodwill                                                                                  Friday, 26 December 2025

learner marking school calendar dates in 2025

Summary of Public School Calendar for 2025

Overall, the 2025 South African school calendar intends to be an academic-filled year that sets out to provide learners with enriched learning experiences. With plenty of opportunities for learning, it’s important that learners and teachers alike set aside time to plan their days to ensure they get the most out of the school year.

Be sure to mark the below dates to ensure that you always stay a step ahead of the curve:

Summary of Proposed Dates for 2025

Duration

Number of weeks

Number of days

Number of public holidays

Number of school days

(13) 15 January – 28 March

11

53 (55)

1

52 (54)

8 April – 27 June

12

59

4+3

52

22 July – 3 October

11

54

1

53

13 October – (10) 12 December

9

43 (45)

0

43 (45)

Total

43

209 (213)

6+3

200 (204)

planning for 2024 central region school calendar

2025 School Calendar: IEB Schools

In terms of the school calendar dates for IEB schools, it’s important to note that there are no universal dates or calendars that apply to all of the independent schools in South Africa. Many of the IEB schools folow the public school calendar while other IEB schools follow an association calendar. 

Certain IEB schools follow their own specific calendars. The ISASA calendar committee of the Central Region (Gauteng, Free State, North West and Northern Cape) publishes a Central Region Calendar, which is meant to be used as a guideline for member schools in the region. ISASA member schools aren’t required to use this calendar, but most of them do. 

Keeping that in mind, here is the proposed calendar for the Central Region IEB schools in 2025:

3-Term Calendar

Term 1

 

 

Opens

Wednesday, 15 January 2025

 

Closes

Friday, 4 April 2025

 

Half Term: closing open and days

 

 

Closes

Thursday, 20 February 2025 at 12:00

 

Opens

Tuesday, 25 February 2025

 

Public Holidays:

Friday, 21 March 2025 (Human Rights Day)

Easter Weekend (18 – 12 April)

 

Term 2

 

 

Opens

Tuesday, 6 May 2025

 

Closes

Friday, 8 August 2025

 

Half Term

 

 

Closes

Friday, 27 June 2025 (standard time)

 

Opens

Monday, 7 July 2025

 

Public holidays

 

 

Youth Day

Monday, 16 June 2025

 

Term 3

 

 

Opens

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

 

Closes

Wednesday, 3 December 2025

 

Half Term

 

 

Closes

Thursday, 16 October 2025 at 12:00

 

Opens

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

 

Public Holidays  

Wednesday, 24 September (Heritage Day) 

Total Number of Days:          

181 days plus 10 Saturdays 

 

Image Fixes Broken URLS 2024 03 28T101904.754

4-Term Calendar

Term 1

 

 

Opens

Wednesday, 15 January 2025

 

Closes

Thursday, 20 March 2025

 

Term 2

 

 

Opens

Tuesday, 8 April 2025

 

Closes

Friday, 27 June 2025

 

Public Holidays and School Holidays

 

 

Good Friday

Friday, 18 April

 

Family Day

Monday, 21 April

 

Freedom Day

Monday, 28 April

 

School Holidays

29 – 30 April 

 

Worker’s Day

Thursday, 1 May 2025

 

Special School Holiday

Friday, 2 May 2025

 

Youth Day

Monday, 16 June 2025

 

Term 3

 

 

Opens

Tuesday, 22 July 2025

 

Closes

Friday, 26 September 2025

 

Public Holidays

 

 

Heritage Day

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

 

Term 4

 

 

Opens

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 

Closes

Wednesday, 3 December 2025

 

Plan Ahead for the Academic Year

It’s never too late to plan ahead. Make sure you’re fully prepared for university and get a student loan today!  

Related Articles