School calendar: all the holidays that the 2026-2027 school year will have in Catalonia
The new school year presents itself with the uncertainty of new educational strikes and dragging the turmoil of the PISA tests
As the return to school approaches, students and families alike ask themselves the same questions: when does the school year begin, what are the holidays, or when do classes end? At ARA, we review the key dates for the 2026-2027 school year, which is marked by the uncertainty of new educational strikes and the fallout from the PISA tests. new educational strikes and dragging the fallout from the PISA tests.
First day of class
The first day of class will be September 8 for early childhood and primary education, compulsory secondary education (ESO), integrated schools and baccalaureate. Vocational training (FP) cycles of intermediate or higher grade, as well as specialization courses and sports education will start on the 14th of the same month.
Holidays and festivals
This year's calendar includes the Christmas school holidays, from December 22, 2026 to January 7, 2027, both inclusive, and Easter holidays, from March 20 to 29, 2027. As for the public holidays without classes, this academic year throughout Catalonia there will be three national holidays: Friday, September 11, for the Diada, on Monday, October 12, for the Dday of Hispanidad, and on Tuesday, December 8, for the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Additionally, each center has the option to choose four days of free choice holidays and each town hall sets its local holidays. In Barcelona, for example, Easter Monday (May 17, 2027) and La Mercè (September 24, 2026) have historically been established.
The uncertainty of the strikes
One of the big unknowns of returning to school is strikes. Will we have teacher demonstrations and modifications to the school year again, as happened in May and June of last year? According to educational assemblies and unions, it is possible.
On July 11, the Educational Assembly of Catalonia (AEC) agreed to call a strike in public schools on the first day of the school year. They assured this after meeting with the unions USTEC, CGT, Intersindical CNT, and COS. The AEC spokesperson, Mònica Rodrigo, stated that the school year "will not start normally," even though the Department of Education has said the opposite. "We believe that the cycle of mobilizations must continue because the demands of the entire educational system, from 0-3 to vocational training, have not been heard," Rodrigo insisted.