Czech school year and holidays: how the calendar is built

Anyone who has watched a Czech family plan a summer will have noticed the arithmetic. Schools close for two months. Employers give most staff four weeks of leave. The difference is filled by grandparents, a chata (country cottage), a children's camp and a good deal of negotiation. If you arrive with school-age children, learn the calendar first, because it shapes the rest of your year.

The basic frame

The Czech school year begins on 1 September and ends on 31 August. Teaching runs from the start of September to 30 June. When 1 September falls at a weekend, lessons start on the next working day, and the same logic moves the end of the year forward to the last working day of June. July and August are the summer holidays (hlavní prázdniny). The detailed rules sit in a decree of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MŠMT) on the organisation of the school year, which applies to primary and secondary schools, and the ministry publishes the yearly calendar (as of 2026; check MŠMT).

The year is split into two terms. The first ends at the end of January, when pupils receive a half-year report (pololetní vysvědčení). The second ends in June with the final report, the one that decides whether a child moves up a year. Report day is a bigger event than in many countries, and a good report often earns a small reward. Grades run from 1 (best) to 5.

The short breaks

The shorter holidays are where the system differs from, say, the English one. Exact dates move from year to year, so treat what follows as the pattern, not the timetable.

Autumn. A brief break, not the full week many countries have.

Christmas. The holidays start shortly before Christmas and end after New Year's Day, with the first and last days moving with the weekend. The public holidays on 24, 25 and 26 December sit inside this. The full list of public days is in Czech public holidays explained.

Mid-year. A short break falls where the first term ends and the half-year reports are handed out.

Spring. The spring break (jarní prázdniny) lasts a week, but the week is not the same for everyone. Schools are spread across the winter, with each district given its own week in a rotating schedule, so that ski resorts and roads are not swamped all at once. Neighbouring districts can have different weeks, which matters if cousins live a few kilometres apart. Look up your own district on the MŠMT website rather than relying on last year's dates.

Easter. A short break around Easter, which ties in with the Good Friday and Easter Monday public holidays.

Where the calendar meets the workplace

The cliff is the summer. Pupils are off for two months. The Labour Code gives most private-sector employees at least four weeks of paid leave a year, five in state and municipal employment, and the employer normally sets the schedule with 14 days' notice (as of 2026; check the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs). The detail is in Czech working hours, overtime and holidays and in how Czech holidays and bridging days affect work. For how that entitlement compares with the UK and Germany, see paid leave in Czechia compared with the UK and Germany.

This arithmetic is the reason summer day camps (příměstské tábory) and residential camps exist as an industry, and why many employers are used to staff taking leave in blocks of one or two weeks, or to parents splitting the summer between them. If you are new to a team, ask early which weeks colleagues with children already have in mind, and book yours before the spring.

A hypothetical example. A couple has a child at a Prague primary school and, between them, eight weeks of leave. The summer break runs to roughly nine working weeks, and spending every day of leave on it would leave nothing for Christmas or a sick child. So one parent takes two weeks at the start of July, the other two at the end of August, grandparents take a week, and a day camp covers the middle. Not every family has grandparents nearby, which is why camps sell out.

Younger children and older students

Kindergartens (mateřské školy) follow a different rhythm. They run through the year, but many reduce or suspend operations for part of July and August, often in agreed blocks, and sometimes close for a couple of weeks at Christmas. Local operators set their own dates and tell parents ahead. The last year before school is compulsory and free in public kindergartens, as described in Czech nurseries and kindergartens explained.

Primary school is compulsory from the September after a child turns six. Enrolment takes place in the early months of that year; the process is set out in how to enrol a child in Czech school, and the stages are summarised in how Czech public schools work.

Secondary stage. Entrance exams for secondary schools are held in spring, with applications due earlier in the year. The state part of the leaving exam (maturita) also takes place in spring.

Universities set their own calendars. The academic year usually starts in September or October and is divided into winter and summer semesters, each followed by an exam period. Details are in Czech higher education for international students.

International schools follow their own calendars. Many start in August and run to June, with breaks that differ from the Czech pattern, so check before you assume the summer overlaps. See international schools in Czechia.

Moving families: what to check

If you move in mid-year, a school can usually enrol a child as places allow, although the year already under way constrains choice. Language support differs between schools, and arriving in September gives a child the smoothest start. How to bring children to Czechia lists the paperwork, and Prague schools and districts explains how the catchment idea works.

Look up your district's spring break as soon as you know your address, ask the school for its own calendar of training days and trips, and book summer care in winter, because the good camps fill early.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Czech school year start and end?

It begins on 1 September and ends on 31 August. Teaching runs until 30 June, and July and August are the main summer holidays. Weekends shift the exact first and last days.

Are Czech spring breaks the same everywhere?

No. The ministry assigns each district its own week in a rotating schedule published several years ahead, so neighbouring districts can have different weeks.

How long are Czech school holidays compared with parents' leave?

Summer holidays cover two months, while most employees have at least four weeks of paid leave a year, five in state and municipal jobs. Families bridge the difference with camps and relatives.

Do kindergartens follow the same calendar as schools?

Not exactly. They operate through the year but many reduce or close for part of the summer and for some days at Christmas. Each operator publishes its own dates.