With just a week left before the long winter holidays begin in the UAE, schools are buzzing with activities. From final assessments to parent-teacher meetings, the last few days of the first term are packed as students and teachers round off a busy stretch of the academic year.
For the first time this year, international curriculum schools will enjoy an extended winter break of nearly four weeks. Until last year, winter breaks in the UAE were scheduled for three weeks. This year, the holiday begins with the National Day celebrations on 2 and 3 December. The actual break will run from 8 December to 4 January. Classes will resume on 5 January, giving students ample time to rest and rejuvenate for the next term.
The Ministry of Education rolled out a unified calendar for public and private schools for the 2025–2026 school year, which began on 25 August. However, Indian curriculum schools that began in April have different schedules.
Indian schools follow a different timeline, with the academic year beginning in April, rather than September. This means that these schools will have a shorter winter break starting 15 December, with classes resuming from 5 January 2026. Indian schools in the UAE will not follow the unified calendar until it becomes applicable to them in April 2026.