Cyprus School Holidays and Term Dates 2026-2027

Public schools close on the national and religious holidays below. Primary and secondary schools share most of them, but not all: Christmas starts a day earlier in primary schools, and a few days apply to one level only.

Public primary schools also close on the feast day of their community or parish saint: each school declares one such day to its district education office, so that date differs from school to school.

Public secondary schools start a week before primary schools and finish lessons in May, followed by exams. If you are unsure which stage your child is in, the year group guide explains how Cyprus grades compare with British and American years.

Several school holidays in Cyprus follow Orthodox Easter, so they move every year. This school year Orthodox Easter Sunday falls on May 2, 2027.

• Green Monday, the first day of Lent, is on March 15, 2027: a holiday for all public schools.
• The Easter holidays start on Holy Monday, April 26, 2027, and lessons resume on May 10, 2027.
• Ascension Day, June 10, 2027, is a holiday for public primary schools; secondary schools stay open.
• Kataklysmos, the Festival of the Flood, falls on Holy Spirit Monday, June 21, 2027. Secondary schools close; primary pupils are already on summer holiday.

Western Easter falls on March 28, 2027, so Easter breaks in Cyprus do not always line up with school holidays in the UK and other countries.

Private schools in Cyprus set their own calendars. Most close for the national holidays and for Christmas and Easter, but the first day, half-terms, staff training days and the last day differ from school to school, and sometimes between the nursery, primary and secondary sections of the same school.

• First day: usually in the first half of September, often with a short first week or staggered starts for new pupils.
• Terms: schools that follow the British system usually split the year into autumn, spring and summer terms.
• Half-terms: a few days to a week, usually in late October (often joined to the 28 October holiday), in February and in late May. Greek-medium private schools tend to follow the public calendar more closely.
• Christmas and Easter: about two weeks each, with the Easter break built around Orthodox Easter, as in public schools.
• Staff training days: a few extra closures a year, set by each school.
• End of the year: many English-medium schools finish in mid or late June, and students sitting IGCSE, A-Level or IB exams often go on study leave from May.

Exam boards set some dates too: Cambridge and other international exam seasons usually run from late April into June. For the latest published timetable, see Cambridge IGCSE, AS & A Level Exam Timetables in Cyprus (June 2026).

Because these dates differ, ask each school on your shortlist for its calendar for the year you need. Start with the private school directory, or browse by city: Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos and Famagusta.

Schools can publish open days, entrance exams and application deadlines on their profiles. Upcoming dates appear in our school events calendar and admissions planner, and entrance exam dates in the entrance exam tracker.

Term dates themselves come from each school. When you send an enquiry through a school's profile, ask for its calendar for the year you are applying for.

Run a private school? Claim your school's profile to publish your open days and admissions dates yourself: see how profile claims work.

• Children in different public schools: Christmas starts a day apart in primary and secondary schools, and secondary students finish lessons in May but still have exams into June.
• A long summer: public primary pupils are off from June 17, 2027 to September 10, 2027, about twelve weeks, so look at summer camps and childcare early.
• Private school families: put your school's own calendar next to these dates, because half-terms and staff training days rarely match the public calendar.
• Exam years: keep May and June free of trips for students sitting IGCSE, A-Level, IB or Pancyprian exams.

For a month-by-month view of how a private school year runs, from settling in to exam season, read our private school calendar guide.