School Terms and School Holidays
The Cape Town School Calendars below apply to most schools in the Western Cape.
Please note: 2021 Winter holidays have been shifted forward and schools will remain closed until 26 July 2021 – according to the latest announcement of President Ramaphosa on 11 July 2021.
South African schools usually divide their academic year into four terms. In general, the school year starts mid of January and ends at the beginning of December. But dates may vary if your child visits a private (independent) school. Take note, that the American School and the French school in Cape Town have a completely different calendar.
Please find below the school calendars for 2021 and 2022 for easy reference. Please note that due to the Pandemic the school holidays might be shifted.
Cape Town School Calendar 2021 and 2022
Public Schools
Public School Terms and Public School Holidays
Public School Terms 2021 and Public School Holidays for 2022 are as follows: Term 1: 15 February 2021 – 23 April 2021 ——–Autumn Break: 24 April 2021 – 2 May 2022 Term 2: 3 May 2021 – 13 June 2021 (due to the Cov-19 Pandemic) ——–Winter Break: 14 June 2021 – 25 July 2021 Term 3: 27 July 2021 – 1 October 2021 ——–Spring Break: 2 October 2021 – 10 October 2021 Term 4: 11 October 2021 – 15 December 2021 ——–Summer Break: 16 December 2021 – 11 January 2022 Public School Terms 2022 and Public School Holidays for 2022 are as follows: Term 1: 12 January 2022 – 17 March 2022 ——–Autumn Break: 18 March 2022 – 4 April 2022 Term 2: 5 April 2022 – 24 June 2022 ——–Winter Break: 25 June 2022 – 18 July 2022 Term 3: 19 July 2022 – 30 September 2022 ——–Spring Break: 1 October 2022 – 10 October 2022 Term 4: 11 October 2022 – 14 December 2022 ——–Summer Break: 15 December 2022 – mid January (tbc) |
Cape Town School Terms 2021 and 2022
Private Schools
School Holidays 2021
public schools
24 April 2021 – 2 May 2021
14 Jun 2021 – 26 Jul 2021
2 Oct 2021 – 10 Oct 2021
16 Dec 2021 – 11 Jan 2022
Please note!
All public schools in the nine South African provinces will adhere to the same school calendar – Be aware that private schools are free to select other dates than these!
School Holidays 2022
public schools
18 Mar 2022 – 4 Apr 2022
25 Jun 2022 – 18 Jul 2022
1 Oct 2022 – 10 Oct 2022
15 Dec 2022 – mid Jan 2022
Private, also called independent, schools in Cape Town may add some days either before or after the official state school holidays. The dates above refer to the public (state) schools’ holidays as given by the Department of Education of the Western Cape and below you will find the ISASA (Independent Schools Association of South Africa) calendar which most independent schools follow.
ISASA – Private Schools with 4 TermsPrivate School Terms for 2021 are as follows (as proposed by ISASA Central calendar – not for the Western Cape though!): Term 1: 13 January 2021 – 26 March 2021 Term 2: 14 April 2021 – 2 July 2021 Term 3: 27 July 2021 – 23 September 2021 Term 4: 12 October 2021 – 1 December 2021 Private School Terms for 2022 are as follows (as proposed by ISASA Central calendar – not for the Western Cape though!): Term 1: 12 January 2022 – 18 March 2022 Term 2: 5 April 2022 – 24 June 2022 Term 3: 19 July 2022 – 23 September 2022 Term 4: 11 October 2022 – 7 December 2022 |
ISASA Private Schools with 3 TermsPrivate School Terms for 2021 are as follows (as proposed by ISASA Central calendar – not for the Western Cape though!): Term 1: 13 January 2021 – 14 April 2021 Term 2: 5 May 2021 – 6 August 2021 Term 3: 7 September 2021 – 3 December 2021 Private School Terms for 2022 are as follows (as proposed by ISASA Central calendar – not for the Western Cape though!): Term 1: 12 January 2022 – 13 April 2022 Term 2: 4 May 2022 – 5 July 2022 Term 3: 6 September 2022 – 7 December 2022 |
Different school holidays?Beware if your children attend different (private) schools, the school holiday dates might differ significantly! One child might be off school when the other one already has to be back at school! So better know your term dates and plan your family’s holidays accordingly. |
Cape Town School Calendar
Cape Town School Holidays for the American School (AISCT) 2021/ 2022
Term 3: 18 January 2021 – 19 March 2021 – School Holidays: 20 March 2021 – 26 March 2021 Term 4: 29 March 2021 – 26 May 2021 – School Holidays: 27 May 2021 – 2 August 2021 Term 1: 3 August 2019 – 1 October 2021 – Spring Break: 2 October 2021 – 10 October 2021 Term 2: 11 October 2021 – 10 December 2021 – Christmas Holidays: 11 December 2021 – 16 January 2022 Term 3: 17 January 2022 – 18 March 2022 – School Holidays: 19 March 2022 – 27 March 2022 Term 4: 28 March 2022 – 25 May 2022 Cape Town School Calendar and School Holidays in South Africa |
American School in Cape TownWhat you should know…The American School in Cape Town (AISCT) has a completely different school calendar, and adheres to the US American schools calendar. Find the term dates below. Also the French School in Cape Town adheres to the European school calendar. Find more info on their school terms and holidays here. |
Always check your child’s school holiday calendar and view your specific private school’s website for exact dates as the holiday dates above are given for reference only. |
Click to find holiday camps and fun activities for kidsThe dates given above serve as a rough guideline and are important to know if you want to book your holidays, travels or flights to be aware about the peak travel seasons in South Africa. Check our page with the most popular holiday clubs and kids activities and let us know if you know of other great holiday and camp programmes.
Sources for this Cape Town School Calendar page:
Popular Pages
Our Schools Guide
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