Czech school year 2026–27: Dates, holidays, and new rules parents need to know

This year, rules are changing around school-entry postponements, support in first-grade classrooms, and repeating first grade. Parents will also need to navigate school-specific rules on mobile phones and a staggered spring break.

At the same time, several education reforms making headlines, including changes to school meals, the national curriculum and potentially the length of summer holidays, are not taking effect this school year.

Here is what parents need to know.

Czechia is tightening the rules governing postponements of compulsory school attendance.

The changes are being phased in. For children enrolling in 2026, the new rules apply to children born by March 31, 2020; the rules will expand to children born by June 30, 2021, for the 2027 enrollment cycle and will apply to all children from 2028.

The reform is designed to limit postponements to children whose health genuinely prevents them from starting school.

Parents seeking a postponement must provide the assessments required under the new rules, including recommendations from a school counseling service and a medical professional or clinical psychologist, depending on the circumstances.

From Sept. 1, 2026, first-grade classes with at least 15 pupils will have an assistant teacher working alongside the classroom teacher.

The Education Ministry says the new arrangement is intended to provide additional support during the transition from kindergarten to primary school and allow more individual attention for pupils.

Another change affects children who struggle during their first year.

From this school year, a first grader will normally move on to second grade regardless of their academic performance.

Repeating first grade is possible only under a limited exception, when a parent requests it and provides the required assessment from a doctor or clinical psychologist and a school counseling service.

There is no nationwide phone ban beginning this September.

Individual schools can regulate or prohibit pupils' use of mobile phones and other electronic devices through their school regulations, so the rules can vary significantly between schools.

A May 2026 Education Ministry survey found that 93 percent of schools had formal rules governing mobile phones and other devices in their školní řád (school rules). During lessons, phones are generally restricted unless their use is directed by a teacher, while schools take different approaches during breaks.

Parents may have seen headlines this year about a number of other possible changes to the Czech school system. Here's what isn't happening this September.

The overhaul of nutritional standards for school cafeterias will not become mandatory this September.

The new spotřební koš, the system governing the nutritional composition of school meals, will become mandatory on Sept. 1, 2027, after the government extended the transition period by a year.

Schools can test the new system during the 2026–27 school year, but they can also continue operating under the current rules while preparing for the change.

The revised national curriculum has also been pushed back.

The mandatory introduction of the revised curriculum will begin in kindergartens in September 2027 and in primary schools in September 2028. Primary schools will then introduce the new curriculum gradually by grade.

Among the planned changes, English will no longer have to begin in first grade, although it will have to start by third grade. A second foreign language will no longer be compulsory for every pupil, although schools will have to offer it as an optional subject.

Another change parents may have heard about is the move toward verbal assessment. That does not start this September.

From Sept. 1, 2027, first graders will receive verbal rather than traditional numerical assessment. The change will extend to second grade from 2028.

The Education Ministry has been working on a more uniform approach to mobile-phone use, but there is no nationwide prohibition beginning with the 2026–27 school year.

For now, parents should follow their own school's rules. The ministry's May survey showed that schools are already taking widely differing approaches, particularly during breaks.

There has also been a public debate about whether Czechia should rethink its traditional two-month summer break.

Education Minister Robert Plaga raised the question of whether holidays should be distributed differently during the school year, prompting discussion about shorter or differently timed summer holidays. Expats.cz previously reported on the debate.

But there is no change to the 2026–27 summer holidays.

The school year ends Wednesday, June 30, 2027, and the main summer holiday runs from Thursday, July 1 through Tuesday, Aug. 31. Parents therefore do not need to change their summer plans because of the current debate.

Now that you know what's changing — and what isn't — here are the dates parents actually need to put on the calendar.

The 2026–27 school year begins Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. Classes are scheduled to continue through Wednesday, June 30, 2027.

Monday, Sept. 28 is Czech Statehood Day, a national holiday marking St. Wenceslas Day. Schools are closed, giving families a three-day weekend.

Wednesday, Oct. 28 is the national holiday marking the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia. It is followed by the official autumn holidays on Thursday, Oct. 29 and Friday, Oct. 30. The autumn-holiday dates have not changed for 2026.

Individual schools can also declare additional days of ředitelské volno, or principal's leave, so check your school's own calendar.

Tuesday, Nov. 17 is Freedom and Democracy Day and International Students' Day, a national holiday commemorating student demonstrations in 1939 and 1989. Schools are closed.

Schools can also declare up to five days of principal's leave during the school year for organizational or technical reasons.

The Christmas break begins Wednesday, Dec. 23 and runs through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027. Classes resume Monday, Jan. 4. That means Monday, Dec. 21 and Tuesday, Dec. 22 are normal school days.

Students receive their first-semester report cards on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2027. The following day, Friday, Jan. 29, is the one-day half-term holiday.

Parents planning to enroll a child in Czech primary school in 2027 should note an important change to the enrollment timetable.

First-grade enrollment takes place between Jan. 15 and Feb. 15, 2027, rather than in April as in previous years. Individual schools set their specific enrollment dates within this period.

Planning for first grade in 2027? Check your preferred school's website early for its exact enrollment date and requirements.

Spring break is staggered across Czechia, with different districts assigned different weeks between Feb. 1 and March 14.

The dates are determined by the location of the school, not necessarily the child's home address.

Prague is divided into two groups: Prague 1–5: Feb. 22–28; Prague 6–10: March 1–7.

Check your school's district before booking a ski trip or arranging childcare. Prague's two spring-break weeks fall back-to-back. See the full Prague spring-break calendar here.

The official Easter school holiday is Thursday, March 25. Good Friday falls on March 26, followed by Easter Monday on March 29. Children therefore have four consecutive days away from school, from Thursday through Monday.

The 2026–27 school year ends Wednesday, June 30, 2027. Students receive their end-of-year report cards and summer holidays begin the following day.

The main summer holidays run from Thursday, July 1, through Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2027. For now, the traditional two-month summer break remains unchanged.