A side-by-side comparison of official 2030 school term dates across every Australian state and territory, calculated directly from the term and holiday dates published on each state’s own 2030 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 (2030–2031) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 29 January 2030 | 20 December 2030 | 41 weeks | TBD – end date not yet published |
| New South Wales | 31 January 2030 | 19 December 2030 | 41 weeks | 39 days (confirmed) |
| Queensland | Not yet published | |||
| South Australia | 29 January 2030 | 13 December 2030 | 40 weeks | TBD – end date not yet published |
| Western Australia | 4 February 2030 | 19 December 2030 | 40 weeks | TBD – end date not yet published |
| Tasmania | Not yet published | |||
| Australian Capital Territory | 5 February 2030 | 20 December 2030 | 40 weeks | TBD – end date not yet published |
| Northern Territory | 30 January 2030 | 12 December 2030 | 40 weeks | 47 days (confirmed) |
Queensland and Tasmania have not yet published official 2030 term dates, so they are excluded from the rankings below.
How 2030 compares across states
- Earliest school return: Victoria and South Australia start Term 1 earliest in 2030, on 29 January 2030.
- Latest school return: Australian Capital Territory starts latest, on 5 February 2030 — a 7-day spread across the states with published dates.
- Longest summer holidays: Northern Territory has the longest 2030–2031 summer break among states with a confirmed end date, at 47 days.
- Shortest summer holidays: New South Wales has the shortest, at 39 days.
- Most instructional time: Victoria and New South Wales run the most total instructional time in 2030, at 41 weeks.
- Least instructional time: South Australia, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory and Northern 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 2030 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 2030 mid-year breaks compare, calculated directly from each state’s own published dates:
Autumn break: Victoria is first to start, on 6 April 2030, while Australian Capital Territory starts last, on 13 April 2030 — a 7-day spread in start dates alone. Every state’s autumn break overlaps for at least 3 days, from 13 April to 15 April 2030, so a trip booked inside that window avoids clashing with term time anywhere.
Winter break: Northern Territory is first to start, on 22 June 2030, while Australian Capital Territory starts last, on 6 July 2030 — a 14-day spread in start dates alone. Every state’s winter break overlaps for at least 9 days, from 6 July to 14 July 2030, so a trip booked inside that window avoids clashing with term time anywhere.
Spring break: Victoria is first to start, on 21 September 2030, while Australian Capital Territory starts last, on 28 September 2030 — a 7-day spread in start dates alone. Every state’s spring break overlaps for at least 9 days, from 28 September to 6 October 2030, 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.