2024 is well underway, meaning plenty of teachers, learners and parents are constantly planning for the next event. Between extracurriculars, exam periods and school holidays, there are plenty of important dates to add to your diaries.
If you’re unsure of where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at the School Calendar Dates for 2024:
Table of Contents
2024 South African School Calendar: Public School
The school calendar for 2024 has officially been released for public schools.
The Department of Basic Education has summarised the 2024 school year as follows:
- 43 weeks
- 205 (209) days
- 2+0 public holidays
- 203 (207) school days
It’s clear that the Department of Basic Education has decreased the number of holidays for the year, providing just 25 days off. This is opposed to previous years, which saw learners getting 32 days off in 2023, and 33 days in 2022.
Less time off means that learners will now celebrate the public holidays during the school holidays. The reason for this is reportedly due to the residual impact of COVID-19, which had a large impact on teaching capacity and learner hours.
The 2024 school calendar aims to rectify the time learners and teachers lost in the classroom, leaving plenty of days open for learning.
With that said, let’s see what the school calendar has in store for the year 2024.
2024 Calendar for Public Schools
The 2024 school year started on 17 January 2024 in Term 1 and will end on 11 December 2024 during Term 4. Keeping those dates in mind, here is what the 2024 school calendar looks like for public schools this year:
Term 1
Public holiday: New Year’s Day Monday, 1 January 2024 |
Administration days 15-16 January 2024 |
Term 1 |
Schools start Wednesday, 17 January 2024 |
Schools end Wednesday, 20 March 2024 |
Public holiday: Human Rights Day Thursday, 21 March 2024 |
School holidays 22 March – 2 April 2024 |
Term 2
Term 2 |
School starts Wednesday, 3 April 2024 |
School ends Friday, 14 June 2024 |
Public holiday: Good Friday Friday, 29 March 2024 |
Public holiday: Family Day Monday, 1 April 2024 |
Public holiday: Freedom Day Saturday, 27 April 2024 |
Public holiday: Workers’ Day Wednesday, 1 May 2024 |
Public holiday: Youth Day Sunday, 16 June 2024 |
Public holiday Monday, 17 June 2024 |
School holidays 18 June – 8 July 2024 |
Term 3
Term 3 |
School starts Tuesday, 9 July 2024 |
School ends Friday, 20 September 2024 |
Public holiday: National Women’s Day Friday, 9 August 2024 |
Public holiday: Heritage Day Tuesday, 24 September 2024 |
School holidays 23 – 30 September 2024 |
Term 4
Term 4 |
School starts Tuesday, 1 October 2024 |
School ends Wednesday, 11 December 2024 |
Administration Days 12-13 December 2024 |
Public holiday: Day of Reconciliation Monday, 16 December 2024 |
Public holiday: Christmas Day Wednesday, 25 December 2024 |
Public holiday: Day of Goodwill Thursday, 26 December 2024 |
Summary of Public School Calendar for 2024
Overall, the 2024 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 2024
Duration
Number of weeks
Number of days
Number of public holidays
Number of school days
17 January – 20 March
10
46 (48)
0
46 (48)
3 April – 14 June
11
53
1+0
52
9 July – 20 September
11
54
1+0
53
1 October – 11 December
11
52 (54)
0
52 (54)
Total
43
205 (209)
2+0
203 (207)
2024 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 2024:
3-Term Calendar
| Term 1 | ||
| Opens | Wednesday, 17 January 2024 | |
| Closes | Thursday, 11 April 2024 | |
| Half Term: closing open and days | ||
| Closes | Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 12:00 | |
| Opens | Tuesday, 27 February 2024 | |
| Public Holidays: | Thursday, 21 March 2024 (Human Rights Day) Friday, 22 March 2024 (School Holiday) Easter Weekend (29 March – 1 April) | |
| Term 2 | ||
| Opens | Tuesday, 7 May 2024 | |
| Closes | Thursday, 8 August 2024 | |
| Half Term | ||
| Closes | Friday, 28 June 2024 (standard time) | |
| Opens | Monday, 8 July 2024 | |
| Public holidays | ||
| Youth Day | Sunday, 16 June 2024 | |
| Special School Holiday | Monday, 17 June 2024 | |
| Term 3 | ||
| Opens | Wednesday, 4 September 2024 | |
| Closes | Thursday, 5 December 2024 | |
| Half Term | ||
| Closes | Thursday, 24 October 2024 at 12:00 | |
| Opens | Tuesday, 29 October 2024 |
4-Term Calendar
Term 1 |
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Opens | Wednesday, 17 January 2024 |
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Closes | Wednesday, 20 March 2024 |
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Term 2 |
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Opens | Tuesday, 9 April 2024 |
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Closes | Friday, 14 June 2024 |
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Public Holidays |
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Worker’s Day | Wednesday, 1 May 2024 |
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Special School Holiday | Thursday, 2 May 2024 |
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Special School Holiday | Friday, 3 May 2024 |
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Term 3 |
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Opens | Wednesday, 10 July 2024 |
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Closes | Friday, 20 September 2024 |
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Public Holidays |
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Women’s Day | Friday, 9 August 2024 |
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Term 4 |
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Opens | Wednesday, 9 October 2024 |
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Closes | Thursday, 5 December 2024 |
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Plan Ahead for the Academic Year
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