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School Calendar 2026/2027 in Portugal: Terms, Breaks, Enrolment

Portugal school calendar 2026/2027: terms and breaks

School breaks in 2026/2027 at mainland public schools: Christmas from 16 to 31 December 2026, with classes back on 4 January; Carnival from 8 to 10 February 2027; Easter from 22 March to 2 April 2027. Classes started between 11 and 15 September (on 21 September for the academic secondary track, the cursos científico-humanísticos) and end on 4, 11 or 30 June 2027, depending on the year group.

By Elijah·UPDATED OCTOBER 2026·5 MIN·OFFICIAL SOURCES
KEY FACTS
Christmas break
16 to 31 December 2026; classes resume 4 January
Carnival break
8 to 10 February 2027; classes resume 11 February
Easter break
22 March to 2 April 2027; classes resume 5 April
End of classes
4, 11 or 30 June 2027, depending on the year
ANO LETIVO 2026/2027 · ESCOLAS PÚBLICAS DO CONTINENTE
DESPACHOS N.º 8368/2024 AND 10430/2026
NEXT BREAK
Christmas
16 to 31 December 2026
Classes resume on 4 January 2027.
1st termChristmas: 16 to 31 December 2026
between 11 and 15 September 202615 December 2026
Academic secondary track (cursos científico-humanísticos): started on 21 September.
2nd termCarnival: 8 to 10 February 2027
4 January 202719 March 2027
3rd termEaster: 22 March to 2 April 2027
5 April 20274, 11 or 30 June 2027, depending on the year group
These are the official dates for schools that run on three terms. Schools organised in semesters set their own breaks, and any school may move up to two days of the Easter break: check your agrupamento’s calendar.

How this works

The 2026/2027 school year in mainland public schools was fixed by despacho in 2024 and amended in August 2026: it started between 11 and 15 September (on 21 September for the academic secondary track) and closes, depending on the year group, on 4, 11 or 30 June 2027. Here is how the year is organised.

  1. 1
    One despacho covering several years
    The mainland school calendar no longer comes out yearly: Despacho n.º 8368/2024 fixed the calendars from 2024/2025 through 2027/2028 in one go. For 2026/2027 there was one amendment, Despacho n.º 10430/2026 of 21 August, which moved the start of the academic secondary track (cursos científico-humanísticos) to 21 September. Every other level started inside the 11 to 15 September window, on the day each school cluster (agrupamento) chose.
  2. 2
    Three terms, three breaks
    The year splits into three terms separated by Christmas (16 to 31 December), Carnival (8 to 10 February, wrapped around the optional Tuesday holiday on the 9th) and Easter (22 March to 2 April). The 2nd term starts on 4 January and the 3rd on 5 April. The despacho allows two exceptions: a school may take up to two days from the Easter break to set another break, agreed with the town council (câmara municipal), and schools that run on semesters set their own break calendar.
  3. 3
    Classes end in stages
    Exam years leave first: years 9, 11 and 12 finish on 4 June 2027 to clear the way for the exam season. The remaining básico years and year 10 finish on 11 June. Pre-school and the 1st cycle run until 30 June, a practical relief for working parents.
  4. 4
    Exams and enrolment run on their own calendars
    The dates of the year-9 provas finais and the secondary national exams for 2027 come in their own yearly despacho; the 2026 one was published on 9 December 2025, with the 1st phase of secondary exams in June and the 2nd in July. Enrolments and renewals happen in the preceding spring and summer, on the Portal das Matrículas, with different windows per school year.

The 2026/2027 year at a glance

TERM / BREAKFROMTO
1st term11-15 September 2026 (21 September for the academic secondary track)15 December 2026
Christmas break16 December31 December 2026
2nd term4 January 202719 March 2027
Carnival break8 February10 February 2027
Easter break22 March2 April 2027
3rd term5 April 20274 / 11 / 30 June 2027

Who finishes when, in June 2027

YEAR GROUPLAST DAY OF CLASSES
Years 9, 11 and 12 (exam years)4 June 2027
Years 5, 6, 7, 8 and 1011 June 2027
Pre-school and 1st cycle (years 1 to 4)30 June 2027

After classes end, pre-school and 1st-cycle family-support activities (AAAF/CAF) usually keep running into July, depending on the municipality.

Enrolment windows: how 2026 worked

Enrolment for a school year happens in the preceding spring and summer, online, on the Portal das Matrículas. The 2026 windows (Despacho n.º 4472-A/2026), useful as the template for 2027: pre-school and year 1 from 22 April to 1 June; years 6 to 9 and year 11 from 16 to 29 June; years 2 to 5 from 1 to 13 July; years 10 and 12 from 15 July, extended in 2026 to 24 July because exam marking ran late. First-time pre-school and year-1 enrolments are the ones parents genuinely need to act on; most in-between years renew automatically when the pupil stays in the same school.

Frequently asked

When do classes start in the 2026/2027 school year?
Classes started between 11 and 15 September 2026 in mainland public schools, from pre-school to secondary, on the day each agrupamento (school cluster) chose inside that window. The exception was the academic secondary track (cursos científico-humanísticos, years 10 to 12), which started on Monday 21 September under Despacho n.º 10430/2026. The next school year, 2027/2028, starts between 13 and 15 September 2027.
When are the Christmas, Carnival and Easter school breaks?
Christmas: 16 to 31 December 2026, with classes back on 4 January 2027. Carnival: 8, 9 and 10 February 2027, back on the 11th. Easter: 22 March to 2 April 2027, with the 3rd term starting 5 April. Private schools may vary the breaks slightly.
The school runs on semesters: are the breaks the same?
Not necessarily. The despacho allows a semester-based school year, and in that case the agrupamento sets its own calendar of classes and breaks, coordinated with the town council and the other schools in the municipality, and reports it to the Ministry of Education before the year starts. It must still deliver at least the official number of class days and follow the national exam dates. Its mid-year breaks may therefore differ from the ones on this page: check the calendar the agrupamento publishes.
When do classes end in 2027?
It depends on the year group. Years 9, 11 and 12: 4 June 2027, because they move on to provas and exams. Years 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10: 11 June 2027. Pre-school and the 1st cycle: 30 June 2027. Family-support activities in pre-school and the 1st cycle can extend beyond that, depending on the municipality and school.
When are the 2027 national exams?
There are no official dates yet: as of 6 October 2026, the despacho with the 2026/2027 provas and exams calendar had not been published. It is a yearly despacho of its own; the 2025/2026 one (Despacho n.º 14616-A/2025) came out on 9 December 2025. In 2026, the year-9 provas finais and the 1st phase of secondary exams were in June (exams from 16 to 26 June) and the 2nd phase in July. When the 2026/2027 despacho is published, this page will carry the dates.
When is enrolment for the 2027/2028 school year?
The yearly enrolment despacho usually comes out in April. For reference, the 2026/2027 windows were: pre-school and year 1 from 22 April to 1 June 2026; years 6 to 9 and 11 from 16 to 29 June; years 2 to 5 from 1 to 13 July; years 10 and 12 from 15 July (deadline extended to 24 July in 2026). Everything is done online on the Portal das Matrículas; renewal is automatic in many same-school continuity cases.
Is the calendar the same in Madeira and the Azores?
No. The autonomous regions set their own calendars. Madeira publishes its own in the JORAM (the region’s official gazette), with dates close to but not identical with the mainland. In the Azores, the regional portaria sets reference windows and each school unit fixes the concrete dates. If you live on the islands, always confirm with the school.
Do private and international schools follow this calendar?
They are not required to: private colégios have autonomy to set their own calendar, though most stay close to the official one. International schools (British, French, German curricula) run their own calendars, often starting in late August or early September with different breaks. Private special-education establishments have their own annex in the despacho, with the 1st term running from 1-8 September to 30 December.
Where is the official calendar?
In Despacho n.º 8368/2024, published in the Diário da República on 25 July 2024, which fixes the calendars for the 2024/2025 to 2027/2028 school years (2026/2027 sits in annexes I and II), as amended by Despacho n.º 10430/2026 of 21 August for the start of the academic secondary track. The 2026/2027 enrolments were governed by Despacho n.º 4472-A/2026. All of them are linked in this page’s sources.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
DISCLAIMER
Dates from Despacho n.º 8368/2024 (annexes I and II, school year 2026/2027) for mainland public schools. The 2025 amendment (Despacho n.º 9989/2025) did not touch 2026/2027; the 2026 one (Despacho n.º 10430/2026) only moved the start of the academic secondary track to 21 September. Each agrupamento sets its start day inside the official window and may adjust days by its own or municipal decision; schools on semesters set their own breaks. Madeira and the Azores keep their own regional calendars. 2027 exam dates are still unpublished. Always confirm the dates with the school.