How is the school year structured where you are?

In the United Kingdom the school year starts in early September and runs till mid to late July. It consists of three terms, with the main holidays at Christmas, Easter and in the summer. Around the middle of each of the three terms there is a short break of about one week. (Fee-paying schools generally have somewhat longer holidays).

Universities generally follow the same pattern (usually without a half-term break), but some have two semesters a year on the American model.

The universities generally have much longer holidays than the schools though, don't they?

Although I'm also in the UK, my daughter's secondary school has a five term year, each term being about eight weeks. They get two weeks holiday in October, two weeks at Christmas, two weeks at the beginning of March and two weeks at the end of May, plus five weeks in the summer. They get the Easter bank holidays plus a teacher training day. Any other training days are usually tacked on to the summer holidays.

The primary schools locally elected not to go with this system, I think on the basis that for the younger children, six weeks at a time is quite enough. It causes a lot of hassle for working parents - if you've children at the two schools, you've nineteen weeks holiday a year to plan around, plus any teacher training days.

The two week break at the beginning of March is a blessing and a curse. A blessing if you can afford to go abroad, as it is cheaper then, and a curse if you can't, because there is nothing geared to cater for the kids at that time of year.

Yes, I know there are various experiments (if that's the right word) in some areas; and, yes, the universities have much longer holidays, the longest being at Oxbridge.

Where I live school starts in the first week of September for everyone. Longish break around Christmas about two weeks for children and more like three for University. After Christmas, it's a new term for Uni. The high schools start their new term in about the third week of January, with just a few days break. A week off in early spring for everybody. Timing for that varies depending on the school district - in my little town it's the Easter week. University is out in April sometime, depending on your exam schedule just when, and the kids get out sometime after the second week in June - anywhere from about the 17th to the end of the month.

My area follows a lot along the lines of yours Agony. Starting in early September, 1 - 2 weeks off before the end of the year, a week off in middle of February, another week off around Easter and finishing 3rd or 4th week in June.

My wifes nephews in Alabama have school ending sometime in May and they go back middle of August. I am not sure of how the breaks during the school year work.

In Minnesota we start in the first week of September, sometimes in the last two days of August, having a short break in October, Winter Break in December/January, have Spring Break, as well as a few holidays like Presidents' Day and Memorial Day. The school year will end in the first ten days of June.

All the Australian states have slightly different school dates, but the general pattern is that the school year starts late January and finishes about a week before Christmas. There are three breaks throughout the year, usually about two weeks each time.

The longest holiday is over the summer months and lasts about six weeks.

Yup. Here we start towards the end of January, usually the last week. Then 10 or 11 weeks, and then two weeks holidays. 10 weeks, and then two weeks holidays (usually in mid-july). 9 weeks until the next holidays (early October), and then 10-11 weeks until we break in early-mid December for 6 weeks of Christmas/summer holidays.

Ours is more or less the same as the UK. Here are the dates for the 2009/2010 school year.

Autumn 2009

Thursday 3 September to Wednesday 16 December

Half Term

Monday 26 October to
Friday 30 October

Other Holidays

Thursday 10 September (International Air Display)
Yes, they get a day off to watch an air display!


Spring 2010

Wednesday 6 January to Wednesday 31 March

Half Term

Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February


Summer 2010

Tuesday 20 April to Thursday 22 July

Half Term

Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June

Public Holidays

Monday 3 May

When my children were at school they only got the afternoon off to watch the air display but there was traffic chaos as you had the 'school traffic' added to the main road to the west of the island being closed for safety reasons, plus the traffic of people going to the display. I suppose a whole day off is more sensible.