With the year in consideration, students and their parents across India are working together to come up with plans for their forthcoming year by relying on the 2026 school holiday list. There are a mixture of national gazetted holidays, festival breaks, and seasonal vacations that schools follow; state governments, as well as education boards, usually announce additional local holidays that also affect school closures.
January Breaks and Winters
The given year, 2026, opens with a succession of holidays in January. Republic Day is celebrated by many schools on 26 January, and they close on account of it. Few other holidays of national and festive importance are probable in January also to close schools, which are: New Year’s Day on 1 January, Pongal and Makar Sankranti on 14 January, and Vasant Panchami on 23 January. These holidays are extensively celebrated across states; however, the final decision may vary again according to local calendars and individual school administrations.
Holidays in the First Half of the Year
Muted and celebratory courses are marked by key communal functions and national holidays. School closures in the post-Holi March month are Dooran, translating with Good Friday in April being the occasion of a major pan-India celebration; Labor Day is observed on Buddha Purnima on May 1 nationally. Usually, schools are closed on this day.
Seasonal Vacations and Mid-Year Breaks
Summer vacations begin for the schools in the respective states in the late months of May or early months of June, recoiling through most of the weeks of July. Summer holidays have almost either the same length or show the slightest variation amongst states as well as school boards, giving their students much-needed time off following the first semester.
Festivals and Regional Observance
A number of major religious and cultural days are public holidays for schools during the year, such as Independence Day on the 15thof August, Janmashtami, Dussehra in October, Diwali in November, and Christmas in December. Also, many states observe local events or regional holidays like Onam in Kerala, Bihu in Assam, or, Lok Sabha elections, hence some local closures over and above those covered elsewhere.
Planning Ahead for Parents and Students
It will thus be imperative for parents to scour the official calendars of CBSE and ICSE schools, various state boards, and private schools or daily health education notices, for exact days of public holidays, more so patient families may opt for holidays and scheduling study timetables while not getting pardoned for important happenings on social calendar for being unable to give the correct attention to schooling.