- Schools reopen Monday for a nine-week Third Term before national assessments and examinations begin.
- Grade 6, Grade 9 and KCSE candidates enter the crucial final phase of their academic year.
- Teacher Training Colleges also reopen Monday but remain in session two weeks longer than schools.
Kenyan schools reopen on Monday, August 24, for the third and final term of the 2026 academic year, beginning a crucial nine-week stretch that will culminate in national assessments and examinations for thousands of learners.
The 2026 calendar places pre-primary, primary, junior, senior and secondary schools on a nine-week Third Term running from August 24 to October 23.
Diploma Teacher Training Colleges (DTTCs), however, have a longer Third Term of 11 weeks, running from August 24 to November 6.
The calendar also provides the roadmap for the national assessment and examination season that begins immediately after regular teaching ends. The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has published separate 2026 timetables for KCSE, KJSEA, KPSEA, KILEA and KPLEA.
This means the reopening is particularly significant for Grade 6 and Grade 9 learners, KCSE candidates and learners following the stage-based curriculum who will undertake national assessments.
No half-term break in Third Term
Unlike the first two terms, there is no scheduled half-term break during Third Term.
The 2026 calendar provided a five-day half-term break from February 25 to March 1 during Term One and another from June 24 to June 28 during Term Two.
No corresponding half-term appears under Third Term in the published calendar. Schools therefore run continuously from August 24 until October 23, apart from public holidays and other officially declared interruptions.
This makes Third Term the shortest uninterrupted teaching period of the academic year.
Term One ran for 13 weeks, while Term Two lasted 14 weeks. Third Term has only nine weeks.
The absence of a half-term break also means schools have a relatively compact period in which to complete the year’s learning programme, undertake revision and prepare candidates for national assessments and examinations.
Pre-primary learners
Pre-primary learners return to their institutions on August 24 alongside other learners in basic education.
Their Third Term runs for nine weeks and ends on October 23.
Unlike learners in Grade 6 and Grade 9, pre-primary learners do not have a national end-of-cycle assessment listed in the examination period immediately following the closure of schools.
They therefore complete their regular 2026 school programme when the nine-week term ends.
Primary schools
Primary schools reopen on August 24 and close on October 23.
For learners in Grades 1 to 5, the closure marks the end of regular classroom learning for the 2026 academic year.
Grade 6 learners, however, have the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) immediately ahead.
The official KNEC timetable places KPSEA rehearsal on Friday, October 23, the same day regular Third Term teaching ends.
The written assessment starts on Monday, October 26. The KNEC timetable shows Mathematics and English on the first day, Integrated Science and Kiswahili or Kenyan Sign Language on October 27, and Creative Arts and Social Studies on October 28.
The broader Ministry calendar provides the KPSEA assessment window as October 26 to 29.
This effectively means Grade 6 learners move directly from the end of regular Third Term into the national assessment period.
KILEA candidates
Learners undertaking the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) also enter their national assessment period immediately after regular schools close.
The Ministry calendar provides for KILEA from October 26 to October 30, covering five days.
KNEC has also published a dedicated 2026 KILEA timetable as part of its official examination and assessment programme.
KILEA caters for learners following the intermediate level of the stage-based curriculum.
The different assessment programme means the end of Third Term does not have the same meaning for all primary-level learners: while most begin their long holiday, candidates undertaking KPSEA and KILEA remain engaged in national assessments.
Junior School and the Grade 9 transition
Junior School learners in Grades 7, 8 and 9 also reopen on August 24 and complete regular Third Term learning on October 23.
The term assumes particular importance for Grade 9 learners because they are completing Junior School and preparing for transition into Senior School.
Their Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) is scheduled within the national assessment period running from October 26 to November 5.
KNEC has published the official 2026 KJSEA timetable as well as a separate KJSEA Qualifying Test timetable.
For Grade 9 candidates, October 23 therefore does not mark the end of their school responsibilities. They proceed almost immediately into the national assessment programme.
The results of the Junior School cycle form part of the wider transition process as learners progress to Senior School.
KPLEA candidates
The Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) is also scheduled during the period following the closure of regular schools.
According to the Ministry calendar, KJSEA and KPLEA run from October 26 to November 5, covering seven assessment days.
KNEC has published a separate official timetable for the 2026 KPLEA.
KPLEA caters for learners following the pre-vocational level of the stage-based curriculum.
Consequently, October 26 will mark the beginning of several national assessment programmes simultaneously, including KPSEA, KILEA, KJSEA and KPLEA.
Secondary and Senior Schools
Secondary and Senior School learners also reopen on August 24, with regular Third Term learning scheduled to end on October 23.
For non-candidate learners, the closure marks the beginning of the long end-of-year holiday.
For KCSE candidates, however, the national examination season follows.
The Ministry calendar places the main KCSE examination period between November 2 and November 20, while KNEC has published the detailed 2026 KCSE timetable.
Candidates therefore remain focused on examination preparation even as other learners begin their December holiday.
The KCSE examination period is the final major national examination window in the basic education calendar and extends furthest into November.
Secondary school activities and visits remain banned
Third Term also comes with restrictions for secondary schools.
The Ministry’s published calendar states that activities and visits to secondary schools during Third Term 2026 remain banned in accordance with earlier circulars.
The restriction is intended to protect the examination environment during the sensitive final term.
Schools will consequently have to organise their programmes around teaching, revision, assessment and examination preparation while observing the restriction.
Diploma Teacher Training Colleges stay longer
Diploma Teacher Training Colleges follow a slightly different calendar from basic education institutions.
Teacher trainees reopen on August 24, the same day as schools, but their Third Term lasts 11 weeks rather than nine.
The colleges close on November 6.
Their December holiday then runs from November 9, 2026, to January 1, 2027, covering eight weeks.
The published DTTC calendar does not provide a Third Term half-term break.
The difference means teacher trainees remain in college for approximately two weeks after regular teaching has ended in primary, junior and secondary schools.
KNEC has separately published a range of 2026 teacher-education examination timetables, including schedules for Diploma Teacher Education in Pre-Primary and Primary, Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education and other teacher-education programmes.
Third Term 2026 calendar at a glance
| Level or activity | Opening/start | Closing/end | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary | August 24 | October 23 | 9 weeks |
| Primary schools | August 24 | October 23 | 9 weeks |
| Junior schools | August 24 | October 23 | 9 weeks |
| Senior/secondary schools | August 24 | October 23 | 9 weeks |
| Third Term half-term | None | None | No scheduled break |
| KPSEA | October 26 | October 29 | 4 days |
| KILEA | October 26 | October 30 | 5 days |
| KJSEA | October 26 | November 5 | 7 days |
| KPLEA | October 26 | November 5 | 7 days |
| KCSE | November 2 | November 20 | 3 weeks |
| Diploma TTC Third Term | August 24 | November 6 | 11 weeks |
| Basic education December holiday | October 26 | January 1, 2027 | 10 weeks |
| Diploma TTC December holiday | November 9 | January 1, 2027 | 8 weeks |
The dates are contained in the published 2026 academic calendar, while KNEC has separately published the detailed timetables for the respective national assessments and examinations.
Who finishes when?
The calendar means Kenyan learners will not all finish the 2026 academic year at the same time.
Most pre-primary, primary, Junior School and non-candidate secondary learners complete regular schooling on October 23.
Grade 6 candidates proceed to KPSEA, while learners undertaking KILEA also enter their assessment period from October 26.
Grade 9 KJSEA candidates and KPLEA candidates continue through the assessment window ending November 5.
KCSE candidates remain engaged longest, with the main examination period extending to November 20.
Diploma teacher trainees complete their regular Third Term programme on November 6.
The staggered programme means schools will progressively shift from normal classroom teaching into assessment and examination centres as October comes to an end.
December holiday begins at different times
For most basic education learners who are not undertaking national assessments or examinations, the long December holiday begins after the closure of Third Term.
The Ministry calendar provides the basic education December holiday from October 26, 2026, to January 1, 2027, a period of 10 weeks.
Learners undertaking national assessments and KCSE candidates effectively begin their holidays after completing their respective assessment or examination programmes.
Diploma TTC trainees begin their eight-week December holiday on November 9, with the break ending on January 1, 2027.
National assessments dominate the final weeks
The structure of the calendar means the period between late October and November will be dominated by national assessments and examinations.
KPSEA, KILEA, KJSEA and KPLEA all begin within the assessment window starting October 26.
KPSEA and KILEA conclude first, while KJSEA and KPLEA extend into November.
KCSE then overlaps with the final part of the KJSEA and KPLEA period, with its main examination window beginning November 2 and continuing until November 20.
KNEC’s official timetable portal currently carries the individual 2026 timetables for KCSE, KJSEA, KPSEA, KPLEA and KILEA, together with the relevant teacher-education examination timetables.
For schools, the calendar requires careful preparation of examination centres, candidate records, staffing and security while continuing to support learners academically and emotionally during the final weeks.
For parents, it means knowing that October 23 is the formal closure date for regular basic education teaching but not necessarily the date every child finishes school.
For learners, particularly those in Grade 6, Grade 9 and the KCSE class, Monday’s reopening marks the beginning of the final countdown to assessments that conclude their respective education cycles.
Third Term is therefore short but exceptionally significant. There is no scheduled half-term break, regular basic education classes end on October 23, national assessments begin immediately afterwards, teacher trainees remain in college until November 6, and the national examination season continues until KCSE concludes on November 20.
Learners, parents and teachers now have nine crucial weeks to complete the regular basic education calendar before Kenya enters the final assessment and examination phase of the 2026 academic year.
By Joseph Mambili
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