A side-by-side comparison of official 2028 school term dates across every Australian state and territory, calculated directly from the term and holiday dates published on each state’s own 2028 page. Use it to see who starts and finishes school earliest, whose holidays run longest, and how much instructional time each state schedules.
| State/Territory | Term 1 starts | Term 4 ends | Total instructional time | Summer holidays (2028–2029) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 27 January 2028 | 21 December 2028 | 42 weeks | 38 days (confirmed) |
| New South Wales | 31 January 2028 | 21 December 2028 | 41 weeks | 35 days (confirmed) |
| Queensland | 24 January 2028 | 8 December 2028 | 40 weeks | 44 days (confirmed) |
| South Australia | 31 January 2028 | 15 December 2028 | 40 weeks | 44 days (confirmed) |
| Western Australia | 2 February 2028 | 14 December 2028 | 40 weeks | 47 days (confirmed) |
| Tasmania | Not yet published | |||
| Australian Capital Territory | 8 February 2028 | 22 December 2028 | 40 weeks | 45 days (confirmed) |
| Northern Territory | 25 January 2028 | 14 December 2028 | 41 weeks | 46 days (confirmed) |
Tasmania has not yet published official 2028 term dates, so it is excluded from the rankings below.
How 2028 compares across states
- Earliest school return: Queensland starts Term 1 earliest in 2028, on 24 January 2028.
- Latest school return: Australian Capital Territory starts latest, on 8 February 2028 — a 15-day spread across the states with published dates.
- Longest summer holidays: Western Australia has the longest 2028–2029 summer break among states with a confirmed end date, at 47 days.
- Shortest summer holidays: New South Wales has the shortest, at 35 days.
- Most instructional time: Victoria runs the most total instructional time in 2028, at 42 weeks.
- Least instructional time: Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Australian Capital Territory run the least, at 40 weeks.
Figures are calculated directly from each state’s published term and holiday dates — see the linked state/year pages for the full tables and sources. “Total instructional time” is calendar weeks across the four terms; it is not a count of individual school days.
How the 2028 term break windows overlap between states
School holiday breaks don’t line up neatly across Australia — each state and territory sets its own term dates, so the same named break (autumn, winter or spring) can start more than a week apart depending on where you live. Here is how the 2028 mid-year breaks compare, calculated directly from each state’s own published dates:
Autumn break: Victoria is first to start, on 1 April 2028, while South Australia starts last, on 14 April 2028 — a 13-day spread in start dates alone. Every state’s autumn break overlaps for at least 4 days, from 14 April to 17 April 2028, so a trip booked inside that window avoids clashing with term time anywhere.
Winter break: Queensland is first to start, on 24 June 2028, while Australian Capital Territory starts last, on 8 July 2028 — a 14-day spread in start dates alone. Every state’s winter break overlaps for at least 2 days, from 8 July to 9 July 2028, so a trip booked inside that window avoids clashing with term time anywhere.
Spring break: Queensland is first to start, on 16 September 2028, while Australian Capital Territory starts last, on 30 September 2028 — a 14-day spread in start dates alone. Every state’s spring break overlaps for at least 3 days, from 30 September to 2 October 2028, so a trip booked inside that window avoids clashing with term time anywhere.
These overlap windows are useful for interstate trips, visiting family in another state, or coordinating with relatives whose kids attend school in a different state or territory. Always check the linked state pages for that state’s exact dates before booking, since a school’s own pupil-free days can shift the effective start or end of a break by a day or two.