Learners across Kenya will spend more days away from school during the first and second terms in 2027 after the Ministry of Education introduced a new academic timetable that increases midterm holidays and changes the duration of school terms in response to concerns raised by this year's wave of unrest.
The revised calendar provides longer February and June breaks, cuts one week from the second term and adds an extra week to the third term. The changes will apply to pre-primary, primary, junior, senior and secondary schools, marking a shift from the academic structure used over the past two years.
Under the new arrangement, the February half-term holiday will increase from five days to nine days for pre-primary, primary and junior school learners. Senior and secondary school students will receive a 10-day break during the same period.
The June holiday will also be longer, with primary and junior school learners getting 11 days off, while those in senior and secondary schools will have 12 days away from classrooms.
The Ministry's decision comes after Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced in June that the government would review the academic timetable to spread learning time more evenly and respond to concerns about the pressure placed on learners.
Learner fatigue was among the factors identified in connection with the unrest that affected 204 schools this year. Other concerns included examination pressure, poor boarding conditions, leadership challenges, peer influence and substance abuse.
To examine the incidents and recommend lasting solutions, Ogamba appointed a 52-member multi-stakeholder task team in October. The committee, chaired by Professor Peter Mulwa Mbithi, was mandated to investigate the unrest and propose reforms aimed at strengthening learner welfare, safety and discipline.
The 2027 academic year will start on January 4, but schools will have different closing dates at the end of the first term depending on their level.
Pre-primary, primary and junior schools will complete their first term on April 9 after 14 weeks of learning, an increase of one week compared with the 2026 timetable.
Their first half-term break will run from February 19 to 28, before learners proceed to the April holiday, which will begin on April 10 and end on May 2.
For senior and secondary schools, the first term will end on April 2 after 13 weeks. Students will also take their February break from February 19 to 28 before beginning a four-week holiday on April 3, which will end on May 2.
All schools will resume for the second term on May 3, with the period running until July 30. The term will last 13 weeks, compared with 14 weeks under the 2026 calendar.
Learners will, however, have an extended break in June, scheduled to run from June 9 to 20. The revised arrangement gives primary and junior school pupils 11 days away from school, while senior and secondary school students will have 12 days.
The calendar has also adjusted the August holiday, which will now last four weeks, starting July 31 and ending August 29. This is an increase from the three weeks provided under the 2026 academic timetable.
Schools will reopen on August 30 for the third term, which will run for 10 weeks before closing on November 5. The additional week gives learners more time in the final term compared with the nine weeks allocated in 2026.
Several national assessments will be conducted during the final week of learning, from November 1 to 5, for primary and junior school candidates.
The assessments will include the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA), Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA).
Secondary school candidates will begin their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations on November 8, with the national tests scheduled to conclude on November 26.
The end-of-year holiday arrangements will also differ depending on the school category. Pre-primary, primary and junior school learners will begin their December break on November 8, while senior and secondary school students will close earlier, on November 6.
The holiday period will run until January 4, 2028, when all learners are expected to return for the new academic year. This reduces the December holiday from 10 weeks to eight weeks under the revised timetable.
The adjustments represent a significant departure from the calendar used in 2025 and 2026, when all school levels followed a structure of 13 weeks in Term One, 14 weeks in Term Two and nine weeks in Term Three.
In 2027, pre-primary, primary and junior schools will have 14 weeks in the first term, while senior and secondary schools will retain the 13-week duration.
The second term will be reduced by a week across all categories, with the third term gaining an additional week. The August holiday will also be extended, while the December break becomes shorter.
The two half-term holidays, which remained at five days in both 2025 and 2026, will now provide learners with longer periods away from school as the Ministry implements its revised distribution of classroom time.