Schools to Reopen on Jan 6, Ministry Releases 2026 Academic Calendar

The Ministry of Education has officially released the academic calendar dates for the 2026 academic year.

The comprehensive schedule details term dates for Basic Education Institutions and Diploma Teachers Training Colleges (DTTCs).

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok signed the circular, which was copied to Education CS Julius Ogamba, the Teachers Service Commission, Kenya National Examination Council and Council of Governors.

The circular has been dispatched to all regional directors of education, county directors of education and sub-county directors of education.

Basic Education Institutions, which include pre-primary, primary, junior, senior, and secondary schools, will begin the year on January 5, 2026.

Term I will run for 13 weeks, closing on April 2, 2026. Students will enjoy a five-day half-term break from February 25 to March 1, 2026.

The April holiday is set for three weeks, from April 7 to April 24, 2026.

Term II is scheduled to last 14 weeks, opening on April 27 and concluding on July 31, 2026.

A second half term will take place between June 24 and June 28. This will be followed by a three-week August holiday, which ends on August 21.

The final term, Term III, will be the shortest at nine weeks. It is scheduled from  August 24 to October 23, 2026. 

The circular also confirms the dates for all major national examinations. The Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) are slated for five days.

They will run from October 26, 2026. The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) will also begin on October 26.

They will run for seven days. The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will take place over three weeks. KCSE is scheduled from November 2 to November 20, 2026.

Students will then begin their long end-of-year break. The December holiday is scheduled to last 10 weeks. It will run from October 26, 2026, until  January 1, 2027.

Separately, the Diploma Teachers Training Colleges will follow a similar schedule.

Their Term III, however, will extend until November 6, 2026, lasting 11 weeks. Their December holiday starts on November 9.

The Ministry has also maintained an existing restriction for secondary schools.

The circular states clearly, “Activities and visits to secondary schools in third term 2026 remain banned as per the earlier circulars.” The document was directed to all institutions of basic education.

Most primary and secondary schools will close for the December holiday around October 24, 2025.

This marks the end of the third term, which is shorter than the other terms and includes major examinations.