Pupil Free Days Australia 2026: Is Today a Pupil Free Day?

Pupil-free days are not nationally standardised. Some states publish common dates, while other dates are chosen by individual schools. Select your state below, then confirm the date with your school.

Remember these are on top of public holidays and school holiday dates!

Because I am a teacher and a mum, I work these out well in advance so I know exactly when I need to plan my holidays. Now you can too! No more wondering ‘is it a pupil free day today?’

Quickly find pupil-free days in your state

Pupil-free days are also called student-free days, school development days, staff development days or professional learning days. The name and the way dates are chosen differ around Australia.

Jump straight to your state or territory:

Is today a pupil-free day?

Check your state’s list below to see whether today is a published pupil-free day for government schools.

However, not every pupil-free day is set across an entire state. In Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, individual schools choose some or all of their student-free days. Catholic and independent schools may also follow different calendars in every state and territory.

If today’s date is not listed below, check your school’s website, newsletter, parent app or social media page before sending the kids to school. When in doubt, contact the school directly.

Is tomorrow a pupil-free day?

Start by checking the dates listed for your state or territory below. If tomorrow is shown as a statewide pupil-free day, government-school students will generally not attend.

If your state allows schools to choose their own dates, check your school calendar or contact the school. It is worth confirming before arranging work, childcare or an activity because neighbouring schools can have different pupil-free days.

Are pupil-free days the same at every school?

No. Some education departments publish common dates for government schools, while other states allow schools to choose dates according to their own planning and professional-development needs.

As a general guide:

• Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory publish common statewide or regional dates for government schools.
• Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia allow individual schools to select some or all of their pupil-free days.
• Catholic and independent schools may use different dates from government schools in every state and territory.

Always confirm the date with your child’s school before making arrangements.

Student free days Queensland 2026

Parents and carers of kids at state school in Queensland do not need to send their kids to school on the following 5 days in 2026:

• Thursday 22 January
• Friday 23 January
• Thursday 16 April
• Friday 17 April
• Friday 4 September

Find the full term dates for Queensland here.

Pupil free days New South Wales 2026

Parents and carers of kids at state school in NSW may have the following days off as pupils free days (double check with your individual school) in 2026:

• Term 1: Tuesday 27 January to Friday 30 January
• Term 2: Monday 20 April and Tuesday 21 April
• Term 3: Monday 20 July
• Term 4: Monday 12 October

Find the full term dates for New South Wales here.

Student free days in Australian Capital Territory 2026

These are the student free days in the ACT when students do not need to come to school:

• Thursday 29 January
• Monday 20 April
• Monday 20 July
• Monday 12 October

Find the full term dates for ACT here.

Pupil free days Victoria 2026

The Victoria government allocate 4 days to student free days in state school across the state. School councils may only schedule the student-free days subject to the following requirements:

• the first day of Term 1 each year must be a student-free day in all government schools to allow for appropriate planning to take place for the arrival of students. In 2026 the 27 January will be a student free day.
• one student-free day is to be nominated for assessment and reporting
• school councils have the flexibility to schedule 2 additional student-free days based on local school needs
• if the principal determines to hold a common professional practice day (PPD) for teachers at the school, school councils will also schedule an additional, fifth student-free day, for use as a common PPD.

Contact your school for the list of pupil free days in Victoria.

Find the full term dates for Victoria here.

Pupil free days South Australia 2026

Public schools schedule student-free days for mandatory staff training and development. Additionally, schools may close on locally significant days. Out-of-school hours care (OSHC) is provided on these occasions. For information on student-free day dates and planned closures, get in touch with your school.

Find the full term dates for South Australia here.

Pupil free days Western Australia 2026

In WA pupil free days are called School Development Days and these are days when teachers, school leaders and support staff can hone and improve their skills. Children do not attend school on these days.

While three days are scheduled over the Christmas/New Year break, an additional three days are scheduled throughout the school year. The dates are different for each school and are chosen in consultation with the school council/board and the school community.

You can going to need to talk with your school to find out when its school development days have been rostered for 2026.

Find the full term dates for Western Australia here.

Pupil free days Tasmania 2026

Tasmania has set student free days as per below:

Date	School Years	Region
Friday 5 June	K-12	Statewide
Friday 23 October	K-10	South only
Friday 30 October	K-10	North only

Find the full term dates for Tasmania here.

Pupil free days Northern Territory 2026

Northern Territory has pupil free days in 2026 on these dates:

• Tuesday 27 Z& Wednesday 28 January
• Monday 13 April
• Monday 13 July
• Monday 5 October

Find the full term dates for the Northern Territory here.