When Does School End? For International Applicants

You may have been attending school for a long time and are curious as to when the school year should end. In most cases, a school’s academic schedule includes breaks and holidays.

This is to ensure that academic activities can be resumed more easily after short or long-term vacations. Do you want to know when your school will end for the day? Then keep reading this article because I‘ll go through each one in-depth.

What You Should Know About School Year

An academic year, often known as a school year, is a timeframe used by schools, colleges, and universities to determine the amount of time spent studying.

Vacations breaks and recess are all terms used to describe school holidays. They are times when schools are halted or when no lessons or other required activities are conducted. The schedules and lengths of school vacations vary greatly around the world.

Furthermore, even inside the one jurisdiction, there is frequently some diversity. Governments frequently enact legislation regulating the overall number of school days for public schools. The holidays listed in here are for both primary and secondary school students. In postsecondary education, teaching sessions (terms or semesters) are substantially longer.

When Does School Year-End?

Let’s have a look at when the school year ends in various countries throughout the world.

When Does School End in the United States

A regular school year in the United States lasts 160-180 days. The actual figure is mostly determined by the state. Despite the fact that college and university school years are frequently shorter. Private schools with 12 to 16 students typically have classes for 170 days per year.

The following are the major school holidays and breaks in the United States: Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Winter Break; Martin Luther King Day Break; Spring or Easter Break; and others.

In the Northeast of the USA, the school year starts either at the very end of August or the very beginning of September and ends in mid-to-late June, depending upon how many “snow days” were needed (school closure due to too much snow).

Whereas, in the hot climate parts of the USA (Southwest and deep South) they may start in early August and end at the end of May, in order to reduce the requirement for air conditioning.

When Does School End in Canada

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Children in Canada attend elementary or primary school for the first 8 grades of school, except Quebec, which has only 6 grades. School starts with kindergarten at ages 4 or 5, and children move onto high school after completing elementary or primary school.

The academic year in Canada usually lasts between 185 and 190 days. July and August are summer vacation months, with pupils going back to school in late August or early September. The winter vacation begins on Saturday and seems to last for two weeks, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Spring break can last anywhere from one to two weeks, based on the city or province. Easter and Good Friday may or may not fall during spring break. Thanksgiving break is a three-day break that occurs in November.

Canada’s 10 provinces and 3 territories oversee education and each of their ministries of education recognizes the importance of maintaining high standards. Through the Council of Ministers of Education Canada, a national organization, they collaborate to ensure quality and consistency in the education system.

Attending elementary school in Canada

Each province and territory decides when the school year starts and ends, although it usually begins in September and ends in June. School hours generally run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., or 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Monday to Friday.

Education is free for all students in the Canadian public school system. Children must attend school until age 16 or 18, depending on the province or territory.

Public elementary schools in Canada

Many Canadian public schools now accept international students into their programs. Publicly-funded primary schools are managed at the local level by elected school boards, which deliver a standard curriculum or program of study. Almost all public schools have male and female students in the same classes. They offer day programs only.

In most parts of Canada, international students can choose to study in English, French or both languages. In Quebec, elementary schooling for international students occurs in French, unless the parents apply to have their child study in English.

Some provinces offer a separate school system that includes classes in religion. This is part of the public school system and is open to all.

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Private elementary schools in Canada

Private schools in Canada charge fees and they must deliver the same curriculum as public schools in that province or territory. This ensures that students complete the same course of study as students in the public school system.

The legal status of private schools varies across Canada. Most provinces and territories require private schools to register with their ministries of education.

The schools must follow the curriculum and other standards set by that province.
The way private and independent schools deliver programs may differ from the public school system. Class sizes are often smaller, and students may benefit from specialized programming. Some private schools will have a religious program, as well as standard school subjects. Sometimes, private schools are set up for boys only or for girls only.

Private schools include boarding schools (with on-site accommodations) such as Montessori/Waldorf schools, International Baccalaureate schools, and Arrowsmith schools for students with learning disabilities.

When Does School End in Nigeria

Secondary schools in Nigeria get the lengthiest vacation from mid-July to the second week of September. Tertiary institutions have a longer duration within the same time frame. Schools set the dates for vacations, which typically run from June to the first few days of September.

Pre-primary, primary, and junior secondary education are jointly referred to as basic education. The language of instruction for secondary and higher education is English. The academic year runs from October to July and is made up of 2 semesters, each 14-16 weeks long.

Education in Nigeria is overseen by the Federal Ministry of Education. The local authorities take responsibility for implementing state-controlled policy regarding public education and state schools. The education system is divided into Kindergarten, Primary education, Secondary education, and Tertiary education.

Nigeria’s federal government has been dominated by instability since declaring independence from Britain, and as a result, a unified set of education policies is yet to be successfully implemented. Regional differences in quality, curriculum, and funding characterize the education system in Nigeria.

Presently, Nigeria possesses the largest population of out-of-school learning youths in the world. The education system in the South is different from the North. Most northerners have memorised the Holy Qur’an and use that as their education.

When Does School End in South Africa

The primary vacation in South Africa will last from the earliest days of December until early or mid-January. In late March or early April, there is a two-week autumn break. In late June and early July, they also get a lengthier winter vacation. A summer vacation in late September or early October is also an option.

The South African school year runs from January to December. There are four school holidays in South Africa: a two-week break in March/April, a three-week holiday in June/July, a one-week break in September/October, and a longer holiday of around five to six weeks in December/January.

Schools also close on public holidays. There are also other additional days off every school year. Altogether, there are around 200 days in the South African school year.
Privately-run international schools in South Africa may have slightly different holiday dates from state schools, so it is advisable to check the annual calendar with your child’s school if they are privately educated.

Families typically use school holidays in South Africa as a time to get together to celebrate occasions such as Christmas, take family vacations or go on day trips, or plan fun activities for kids. Some of the annual South African festivals may also fall within school holiday periods.

South Africa has 12 annual public holidays, some of which fall during school term time. These days are extra school holidays in South Africa. If public holiday dates fall on a Sunday, schools usually close on Monday.

Sometimes, schools will also close if a public holiday falls on a Tuesday to make a long weekend. This happened in 2019, with an extra holiday given on 23 September (the day before Heritage Day).

This article is well written in high depth to enlighten students, parents, and guardians around the globe to know the various school year-end in the above-listed locations.