Govt Releases 2026 School Calendar Showing When Schools Will Open & Close
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok outlined the specific opening, closing, and holiday dates, along with the national examination schedule for the 2026 school year.
Marvin Chege 
The Ministry of Education has officially released the full 2026 academic calendar for all basic education institutions — from pre-primary to senior secondary schools — as well as Diploma Teachers Training Colleges (DTTC).
In a circular dated October 9, 2025, addressed to all Regional, County, and Sub-County Directors of Education, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok outlined the specific opening, closing, and holiday dates, along with the national examination schedule for the 2026 school year.
According to the ministry, Term I will run for 13 weeks, opening on January 5 and closing on April 2, 2026, with a half-term break from February 25 to March 1. This will be followed by the April holiday from April 7 to April 24, 2026.
Education PS Julius Bitok in a past meeting. /X
Term II, the longest of the year, spans 14 weeks from April 27 to July 31, 2026, including a mid-term break from June 24 to June 28 and an August holiday from August 3 to August 21.
Term III will last nine weeks, beginning August 24 and ending October 23, 2026, and will be mainly dedicated to national assessments and examinations.
The exam timetable is as follows:
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Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA): October 26–29, 2026
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Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA): October 26–30, 2026
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Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) & Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA): October 26–November 5, 2026, seven days.
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Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE): November 2–20, 2026
The December holiday will run for 10 weeks, from October 26, 2026, to January 1, 2027.
For Diploma Teachers Training Colleges, Term I runs from January 6 to April 2, 2026, Term II from April 27 to July 31, 2026, and Term III from August 24 to November 6, 2026, followed by an eight-week December break ending January 1, 2027.
“This circular should be distributed to all institutions of basic education under your jurisdiction,” PS Bitok directed.
He, however, maintained that visits and extracurricular activities in secondary schools during Term III of 2026 remain prohibited, in line with previous ministry guidelines.
