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IN BRIEF
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The school holidays for the 2025-2026 school year are now known, and each geographical zone has its specific calendar. It is important for families and teachers to familiarize themselves with the relevant dates, whether for planning trips or organizing activities during the holidays. This article provides a detailed overview of the holiday periods divided among zones A, B, and C, as well as practical considerations regarding these breaks.
School holidays by zones
The dates of the school holidays vary not only by months but also according to the zone in which the schools are located. France is divided into three zones: zone A, zone B, and zone C. Each zone has its own calendar for the holidays, allowing for a balanced distribution of time off throughout the school year.
Zone A
Zone A includes the academies of Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon, and Poitiers. Students in this zone will have the school holidays according to the following calendar:
- Teachers’ pre-return: Friday, August 29, 2025
- Students’ school return: Monday, September 1, 2025
- All Saints’ Day: From Saturday, October 18 to Monday, November 3, 2025
- Christmas: From Saturday, December 20, 2025, to Monday, January 5, 2026
- Winter: From Saturday, February 7 to Monday, February 23, 2026
- Spring: From Saturday, April 4 to Monday, April 20, 2026
- Start of summer holidays: Saturday, July 4, 2026
Zone B
Zone B includes the academies of Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Normandy, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes, and Strasbourg. The school holiday calendar for this zone is as follows:
- Teachers’ pre-return: Friday, August 29, 2025
- Students’ school return: Monday, September 1, 2025
- All Saints’ Day: From Saturday, October 18 to Monday, November 3, 2025
- Christmas: From Saturday, December 20, 2025, to Monday, January 5, 2026
- Winter: From Saturday, February 14 to Monday, March 2, 2026
- Spring: From Saturday, April 11 to Monday, April 27, 2026
- Start of summer holidays: Saturday, July 4, 2026
Zone C
Zone C consists of the academies of Créteil, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse, and Versailles. Here are the dates for the school holidays in this zone:
- Teachers’ pre-return: Friday, August 29, 2025
- Students’ school return: Monday, September 1, 2025
- All Saints’ Day: From Saturday, October 18 to Monday, November 3, 2025
- Christmas: From Saturday, December 20, 2025, to Monday, January 5, 2026
- Winter: From Saturday, February 21 to Monday, March 9, 2026
- Spring: From Saturday, April 18 to Monday, May 4, 2026
- Start of summer holidays: Saturday, July 4, 2026
Practical considerations regarding school holidays
It is essential to note that departures for holidays generally occur after class, with lessons resuming on the morning of the indicated days. If the start of the holidays falls on a Saturday, students who do not have classes that day may leave on Friday after lessons. These elements should be taken into account when organizing family breaks.
It is also important to inform parents and students that the academies of Corsica, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte, and Réunion, as well as St. Barthélemy, St. Martin, and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, have specific school calendars, taking into account local realities and observed holidays.
