Reference table
Kenya school holidays, term by term
Term dates, half-terms and the break that follows each term, for the Kenyan system and for British- and American-curriculum international schools, so you can plan the trip around the holiday rather than the other way round.
Last verified: 23 Sept 2026
Three school systems run side by side in Kenya and they do not share a calendar. Pick yours below; the breaks are where the trips go.
Term dates
Each term carries its half-term and the break that follows it: the two windows a family can actually travel in. Kenyan dates are the Ministry's; the two international calendars are representative, because no two schools agree. A break shown as 'from' a date has no published end yet.
Kenyan (CBC / 8-4-4)
Official Ministry of Education term dates for basic education institutions, from the Ministry circular of October 2025. Holiday windows below run from the day after a term closes to the day before the next opens, and the December holiday ends on 1 January 2027 as the circular states. Candidates sit national assessments and KCSE from late October into November, so exam classes stay in school after Term 3 closes. The 2027 calendar has not been published yet, and the Ministry has said all three terms will run about twelve weeks from 2027, so 2027 will not mirror 2026.
2026
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
| Term | Starts | Ends | Half-term | Break that follows | Where to go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | 5 Jan 2026 | 2 Apr 2026 | 25 Feb – 1 Mar 2026 | April holidays3 Apr – 26 Apr 2026 | JapanBhutanMorocco |
| Term 2 | 27 Apr 2026 | 31 Jul 2026 | 24 Jun – 28 Jun 2026 | August holidays1 Aug – 23 Aug 2026 | LadakhZambiaZimbabwe |
| Term 3 | 24 Aug 2026 | 23 Oct 2026 | None | December holidays24 Oct 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 | MauritiusIndiaEgypt |
2027
The Ministry of Education has not published the 2027 term dates yet; it usually does so late in the preceding year.
British curriculum
Representative, and dates vary by school; check your school's calendar. Three Nairobi British-curriculum schools publish identical 2026–27 dates, and those are the dates used here. A fourth opens a week later, on 1 September, and places its half-terms differently. The summer holiday has no end date yet because none of these schools has published its 2027–28 opening date.
2026–27 academic year
AugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
| Term | Starts | Ends | Half-term | Break that follows | Where to go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | 25 Aug 2026 | 4 Dec 2026 | 12 Oct – 16 Oct 2026 | Christmas holidays5 Dec 2026 – 4 Jan 2027 | ThailandUAEDubai |
| Term 2 | 5 Jan 2027 | 25 Mar 2027 | 15 Feb – 19 Feb 2027 | Easter holidays26 Mar – 19 Apr 2027 | JapanBhutanMorocco |
| Term 3 | 20 Apr 2027 | 2 Jul 2027 | 24 May – 28 May 2027 | Summer holidaysFrom 3 Jul 2027 | LadakhZambiaZimbabwe |
American curriculum
Representative, and dates vary by school; check your school's calendar. Based on the approved 2026–27 calendar of a Nairobi American-curriculum school. A second Nairobi school runs almost the same year, two days earlier in August and a day earlier in January, but finishes on 28 May 2027, nearly two weeks before the date used here. Two terms, not three, and both start and end earlier than the British year. The summer holiday has no end date yet because neither school has published its 2027–28 calendar.
2026–27 academic year
AugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJul
| Term | Starts | Ends | Half-term | Break that follows | Where to go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | 12 Aug 2026 | 18 Dec 2026 | 17 Oct – 25 Oct 2026 | Long holiday break19 Dec 2026 – 11 Jan 2027 | ThailandUAEDubai |
| Semester 2 | 12 Jan 2027 | 10 Jun 2027 | 30 Mar – 4 Apr 2027 | Summer holidaysFrom 11 Jun 2027 | BotswanaSingaporeBali |
Source: isk.ac.ke/our-school/calendar
Half-terms are short and the good camps go first, which is the whole argument for booking the holiday before the term starts. If you live in Kenya, the cheapest resident rates right now is the fastest way to see what a long weekend costs, and when to go says which months are worth the school run.
Plan the half-term before the term starts
Tell us the break and the ages. We will come back with what is actually available at the resident rate.