The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has confirmed that the final day of the third term – which also signals the start of the very short next school holidays – will be Friday, 3 October.
That’s THIS week!
Pupils will return to their desks on Monday, 13 October for Term 4.
That means a October holiday period of just five school days in total -and two weekends.
Shortest of the year
Those South Africans still working during that week will no doubt be grateful for fewer cars on the road and potentially quicker commutes to work.
Term 4 is the shortest of the year at just 43 days, and will end on Wednesday, 10 December.
For matriculants, Term 4 signals the end of their school careers with matric exams scheduled to be written in the coming weeks.
The Department of Basic Education’s October/November National Senior Certificate (NSC) matric examinations will begin on Tuesday, 21 October, and conclude on Thursday, 27 November.
Term dates
The 2025 school year is divided into four terms:
- Term 1: 15 January to 28 March
- Term 2: 8 April to 27 June
- Term 3: 22 July to 3 October
- Term 4: 13 October to 10 December
Prior to 2024, there was a difference in the term dates for inland and coastal schools.
In 2024 that changed to a calendar that was identical for all provinces. This remains the case in 2025.
The 2025 academic year will consist of 200 school days.
Terms 1 and 2 had 52 days, Term 3 will be the longest at 53 days, while Term 4 will be the shortest with just 43 days.
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