Ecuador's Sierra and Amazonia regions to implement staggered school return in September 2026

Students in Ecuador's Sierra and Amazonia regions are set to begin the 2026-2027 academic year with a staggered return to classes, commencing on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. The Ministry of Education has established an official schedule for this phased reintegration into fiscal educational institutions.

Prior to the students' return, families must complete the transfer and enrollment phases managed by the Ministry. This process is designed to organize the allocation of student slots and ensure a smooth entry into the new academic period, following the conclusion of the 2025-2026 cycle.

The Ministry of Education has organized student entry into three distinct phases to prevent all educational levels from returning simultaneously. The official schedule dictates the following order: On September 1, 2026, students in Bachillerato (grades 10-12) and Initial Education (ages 3-4) will return. The following day, September 2, students in Educación General Básica Superior (grades 8-10) and Preparatoria (grade 1) will commence classes. Finally, on September 3, students in Educación General Básica Media (grades 5-7) and Educación General Básica Elemental (grades 2-4) will return.

Private, fiscomisional, and municipal institutions have the flexibility to set their own calendars, provided they adhere to current regulations and guidelines from the Ministry of Education. The administrative schedule began with sibling transfers, with a deadline of July 26, 2026. Subsequent stages include first-time admissions for students with siblings in fiscal institutions (July 29 to August 2), general transfers (August 4 to August 10), ordinary enrollments (August 12 to August 18), and extraordinary enrollments (September 4, 2026, to January 28, 2027). All procedures will be conducted through the Ministry's official platform, allowing parents to manage enrollments and transfers based on available slots and student location.

The Ministry officially announced the academic calendar dates in advance, as reported by EL COMERCIO on June 11, 2026. This allows educational institutions and families ample time to plan for the end of the current academic year and the start of the next. The return of teachers for institutional planning activities is scheduled for August 11, following their vacation period.