Tasmania School Holidays 2026: Complete Term Dates Calendar

Tasmania school holidays 2026, taken directly from the Department for Education, Children and Young People’s (DECYP) own term dates page: Term 1 runs Thursday 5 February to Friday 17 April. Term 2 is Monday 4 May to Friday 10 July. Term 3 is Monday 27 July to Friday 2 October. Term 4 is Monday 19 October to Friday 18 December.

One thing worth flagging: DECYP’s own calendar page states every term and holiday date without the day of the week attached — just the day and month. Every weekday shown on this page has been independently calculated and checked against the calendar, so you can trust the “Thursday,” “Monday” and so on without re-checking it yourself.

Tasmania school terms 2026 — the full table

Tasmania’s Term 1 starts on a Thursday rather than a Monday — the school year opens with just two days before the first weekend, which is unusual compared with every mainland state, all of which start Term 1 on a Monday or Tuesday.

The four term holidays

DECYP has already confirmed the full 2027 calendar, which is how the summer holiday’s end date above is calculated: Term 1 2027 runs 4 February to 9 April, Term 2 26 April to 2 July, Term 3 19 July to 24 September, and Term 4 11 October to 16 December. School teachers return Monday 1 February 2027 and finish Friday 17 December 2027; college teachers return Monday 25 January 2027 and finish Friday 10 December 2027.

Colleges: separate finishing dates for Years 11 and 12

Tasmania uses the term “college” for its senior secondary system — Years 11 and 12 students generally move to a separate college campus rather than staying at a combined high school, which can catch newly arrived families off guard if “college” means something different in your home country. Colleges follow their own finishing dates each term, which can depend on exam timetables rather than matching the school dates above exactly. College teachers also have separate commence and finish dates: in 2026, they start Tuesday 27 January and finish Monday 14 December, compared to schoolteachers starting Monday 2 February and finishing Monday 21 December. If you have a Year 11 or 12 student, confirm exact dates with their college directly, particularly around Term 4 and exam periods.

Student-free days in 2026

DECYP calls these professional learning days — days set aside for staff training and assessment moderation, where students don’t attend. Tasmania is one of the few states to split some of these regionally rather than applying the same date everywhere:

In other words, a South-only family and a North-only family both lose two Fridays around late October — just not the same two Fridays. Check which region your school falls under before assuming either date applies to you.

Catholic, independent and other non-government schools

Everything above is the Tasmanian government school calendar. Catholic Education Tasmania and independent schools set their own dates rather than automatically following DECYP’s — most stay reasonably close, but differences of a week or more at Term 1’s start or Term 4’s finish are common. Treat this page as a reference point only if your child is at a Catholic or independent school, and check your own school’s calendar directly. We cover typical variations in our Catholic school holidays 2026 guide.

How Tasmania compares with other states

Every state and territory sets its own school calendar independently, so Tasmania’s dates won’t line up exactly with anywhere else — typically by a few days to two weeks at each term boundary. Tasmania’s Term 1 start (5 February) is later than most mainland states, and its four-term structure with three roughly-16-day mid-year breaks is broadly similar in shape to South Australia and Western Australia, even though the exact dates differ. If you’re coordinating travel with family interstate, check that state’s own page rather than assuming: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and the ACT.

Public holidays around Tasmania's school terms in 2026

Tasmania observes two public holidays most other states don’t: Eight Hours Day (its equivalent of Labour Day) and Easter Tuesday, an extra day tacked on after the more familiar Easter Monday.

Worth knowing: with Good Friday, Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday all falling in the same week in early April 2026, and all landing inside Term 1 rather than during a break, Tasmanian schools effectively run a shortened week right before the Term 1 Holiday starts.

Regional public holidays: it depends which part of Tasmania you're in

Unlike mainland states, Tasmania layers a set of local show and cup-day holidays on top of the statewide list — and which ones affect your family depends on your council area. Three fall inside school terms in 2026 and are worth knowing if you’re in the relevant region:

The practical effect: a Hobart-area family loses a school day to the Royal Hobart Show in late October, while a Launceston or north-west family instead loses a school day to Recreation Day a week or so later — different date, same net effect. Check your own council area if you’re planning around late October or early November.

Planning around the breaks

• Vacation care places fill early, especially for the Summer holiday — ask your regular before/after-school-care provider what they run over each break as soon as dates firm up.
• The Child Care Subsidy applies to vacation care for eligible families the same way it applies to regular care — check your own rate through Services Australia rather than a flat figure quoted elsewhere.
• If you have a Year 11 or 12 student, don’t assume their college finishes each term on the same date as younger siblings’ schools — confirm directly, especially around Term 4 exams.
• Summer is the break to book earliest for, since every Tasmanian family is trying to travel in the same 47-day window.

If you’re new to Australia and still working out how school enrolment, OSHC and the term system fit together day to day, our homepage indexes the rest of our settling-in guides.

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