When does Term 1 start in NSW in 2027?

For NSW public schools in the Eastern division, Term 1 2027 runs from Thursday 28 January to Friday 9 April, and those dates include school development days. Western division schools start on Thursday 4 February.

When is NAPLAN in 2027?

ACARA lists the NAPLAN 2027 test window as 10 to 22 March. Ask your students' schools which days they will sit each test.

When were the 2026 HSC written exams?

NESA's key dates show the 2026 HSC written exams starting on Tuesday 13 October and finishing no later than Thursday 5 November. Results are released on Wednesday 16 December 2026.

Do independent schools follow the same term dates?

Not always. The published dates are for NSW public schools, and independent and Catholic schools set their own, so check with each family's school.

Planning a tutoring year around NSW school terms

6 min read · Updated 2026-10-18

In short

A NSW tutoring year follows the four school terms: plan regular lessons by term, decide early what you offer in the holidays, and staff up for the predictable peaks. In 2027, NSW public school Term 1 starts on 28 January in the Eastern division, NAPLAN runs from 10 to 22 March, and the selective and opportunity class tests have been held in May.

Every centre owner knows the January scramble: half the families have not said whether they are coming back, two tutors have started university timetables nobody asked about, and a parent rings to ask why the invoice includes a week the centre was closed. None of it is bad luck. Families think in school terms, so enrolments, cancellations, invoices and tutor availability all move with the school calendar. Put the year's dates in front of you once, in October or November, and most of the next twelve months stop being surprises.

The dates below are for NSW public schools, from the NSW Department of Education, NESA and ACARA, read on 17 October 2026. Western division schools in the far west start later, a few schools near the state borders use different dates, and independent and Catholic schools set their own. Check the official pages before you publish a timetable.

The rest of 2026

Term 4 for students (Eastern division): Tuesday 13 October to Thursday 17 December 2026.
2026 HSC written exams: started Tuesday 13 October and finish no later than Thursday 5 November.
2026 HSC results: released Wednesday 16 December.
Summer holidays (Eastern division): Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027.

Late Term 4 is when Year 12 students finish with you and next year's Year 11 and 12 students start. It is the best time to ask every family about next year, before the holidays scatter them.

The 2027 terms

The department's 2027 dates include school development days, when students do not attend, so the first day for students may be a little later than the term start shown.

Term 1: Thursday 28 January to Friday 9 April (Western division from Thursday 4 February).
Autumn holidays: Monday 12 April to Friday 23 April.
Term 2: Tuesday 27 April to Friday 2 July.
Winter holidays: Monday 5 July to Friday 16 July.
Term 3: Monday 19 July to Friday 24 September.
Spring holidays: Monday 27 September to Friday 8 October.
Term 4: Monday 11 October to Monday 20 December.

2027 terms (Eastern division)

28 Jan to 9 Apr
Term 1 (Western division from 4 February).
12 to 23 Apr
Autumn holidays.
27 Apr to 2 Jul
Term 2.
5 to 16 Jul
Winter holidays.
19 Jul to 24 Sep
Term 3.
27 Sep to 8 Oct
Spring holidays.
11 Oct to 20 Dec
Term 4.

Testing dates that drive demand

NAPLAN 2027 runs from 10 to 22 March, for Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Parents of those years ask about it from the start of Term 1, so decide early what you will and will not offer, and say plainly that a few weeks of practice is about familiarity with the format.

For entry in 2027, the Selective High School Placement Test was held on 1 and 2 May 2026 and the Opportunity Class Placement Test on 8 and 9 May 2026, with make-up tests on 22 May. The department describes the tests as computer-based and held in May. The dates for entry in 2028 were not on its test page when we checked, so confirm them before you plan a course around them. Preparation for those tests tends to fill Terms 4 and 1.

The senior school peaks

NESA sets the HSC written exams, which ran from 13 October to 5 November in 2026, with practical and performance exams in Term 3 and language oral exams from August. Year 11 and Year 12 school assessments are set by each school, so the peaks differ, but many schools run assessment blocks late in a term and trial exams before the HSC. Ask senior families for their school's assessment schedule at enrolment, and enter the dates against each student so tutors can plan backwards from them.

In XTutio a family adds each exam date to their child's calendar for free, and it shows on the parent's calendar and on the calendar of every tutor who teaches that child. The tutor's lesson page lists the exams coming up in the next eight weeks, so a task due in three weeks is on screen while there is still time to prepare. Our article on school exam calendars and notices covers how to collect them.

Holidays: a choice, not an accident

Decide for each holiday whether you pause regular lessons, run intensive courses, or keep both going. Whatever you choose, tell families before the term ends and make your billing match. That is the invoice complaint from the opening paragraph, and it is avoidable: a family invoiced for the term should not discover in week ten that holiday weeks were included. Our article on invoicing by the term or by the pack covers the trade-offs, and the cancellations guide helps when families travel.

A planning checklist for October

Enter next year's term dates and holidays as closures in your system
Decide what runs in each holiday period, and tell families in writing
Ask every current family about next year before the end of Term 4
Collect senior students' school assessment schedules
Plan NAPLAN, selective and OC offers with the official dates in hand
Check tutor availability for the busiest weeks of each term
Set prices for next year and give families notice of any change

In XTutio, enter the holidays as closures and a repeating lesson can run until the break: the series ends the day before the centre's next run of at least five closed days. Before a series is booked, every date is listed with anything wrong with it, such as a closure, a room already taken or the tutor's leave, so a term's lessons go in once and correctly. Pricing a term or a pack is set up as in the services, prices and billing guide.

Questions centres ask

When does Term 1 start in NSW in 2027?: For NSW public schools in the Eastern division, Term 1 2027 runs from Thursday 28 January to Friday 9 April, and those dates include school development days. Western division schools start on Thursday 4 February.
When is NAPLAN in 2027?: ACARA lists the NAPLAN 2027 test window as 10 to 22 March. Ask your students' schools which days they will sit each test.
When were the 2026 HSC written exams?: NESA's key dates show the 2026 HSC written exams starting on Tuesday 13 October and finishing no later than Thursday 5 November. Results are released on Wednesday 16 December 2026.
Do independent schools follow the same term dates?: Not always. The published dates are for NSW public schools, and independent and Catholic schools set their own, so check with each family's school.

Sources

2026 term dates, NSW Department of Education. Read 2026-10-17.
Future and past NSW term and vacation dates, NSW Department of Education. Read 2026-10-17.
HSC key dates, NSW Education Standards Authority. Read 2026-10-17.
2026 HSC Timetables released, NSW Education Standards Authority. Read 2026-10-17.
Key dates, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (NAP). Read 2026-10-17.
NAPLAN, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (NAP). Read 2026-10-17.
Placement test, NSW Department of Education. Read 2026-10-17.