New School Year 2026/2027: Ministry of Education Announces Holiday and Break Dates

The Polish Ministry of Education has announced the official calendar for the upcoming 2026/2027 school year, providing students and parents with key dates for the academic year. The new school year is set to commence on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, marking the end of the summer holidays and the beginning of a new learning phase. The academic year is scheduled to conclude on Friday, June 25, 2027, with summer vacation starting the following day.

Beyond the main summer break, students can anticipate several other significant pauses in their studies. The Christmas break will run from December 23 to December 31, 2026. This period often extends for many students due to the proximity of New Year's Day and Epiphany, with school principals potentially designating additional "director's days" to further lengthen the break. The Easter break in 2027 falls at the end of March, with students having time off from March 25 to March 30, encompassing the Easter holiday period.

A key feature of the academic year will be the staggered winter breaks, divided into three distinct periods to manage travel and tourism. This approach aims to reduce traffic congestion, enhance safety for travelers, ensure more even hotel occupancy, and minimize queues at ski resorts. The first group of regions, including dolnośląskie, łódzkie, opolskie, podkarpackie, podlaskie, and śląskie, will have their winter break from January 18 to January 31, 2027. The second group, comprising lubelskie, mazowieckie, pomorskie, and świętokrzyskie, will break from February 1 to February 14, 2027. Finally, the remaining regions, kujawsko-pomorskie, lubuskie, małopolskie, warmińsko-mazurskie, wielkopolskie, and zachodniopomorskie, will have their break from February 15 to February 28, 2027.

In addition to these scheduled breaks, the academic year includes several public holidays. These include November 11 (National Independence Day), January 1 (New Year's Day), January 6 (Epiphany), Easter holidays, May 1 and 3 (Constitution Day and Labour Day), and Corpus Christi. Schools also retain the authority to designate their own non-instructional days, often scheduled around major exams like the eighth-grade exam and the matura (high school exit exam).