2026/2027 School Year Calendar for Independent Schools in Canada

Bring key dates into your school’s planning with our 2026/2027 school year calendar for independent schools in Canada, covering holidays, community observances, and provincial reporting deadlines.

Every independent school in Canada has its own way of organising the academic year, but there are some dates schools don’t get to choose.

To make it easier for schools, we’ve put together a comprehensive 2026/2027 school year calendar breakdown that brings together major Canadian holidays, important religious and cultural observances, education and awareness dates, and key provincial reporting deadlines for independent K-12 schools in Ontario and British Columbia.

2026/2027 Canadian School Year Calendar Breakdown

Holidays and religious observances

• September 7: Labour Day
  A statutory holiday across Canada, often associated with the start of the new school year.
• September 11–13: Rosh Hashanah
  The Jewish New Year. Families may be absent, so check assessment and event dates.
• September 20–21: Yom Kippur
  The Jewish Day of Atonement, observed with fasting and prayer.

Education and awareness dates

• September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day
  Day honouring the survivors, families, and communities affected by the residential school system and the children who never returned. It’s a statutory holiday in BC, but not in Ontario.

Provincial reporting deadlines

Ontario

• September 1:
  Annual Notice of Intention to Operate (NOI) deadline for all private schools.

New schools seeking OSSD credit-granting authority for September courses must also submit pre-inspection materials.

Confirm on the official Ontario Ministry of Education website.

British Columbia

• September 11:
  Deadline to complete reporting for 2025/26 graduates eligible for provincial scholarships (applies to schools with eligible graduates).

The official BC’s Independent School Reporting Calendar is available here.

• September 29:
  The snapshot day for BC’s Form 1701 (submission due Oct 9).
• September 30:
  Enrolment count for provincial grant funding; funded group 1 and 2 independent schools report their eligible students as of this date (due Oct 15)

Confirm with BC’s Independent School Reporting Requirements.

Holidays and religious observances

• October 12: Thanksgiving
  A statutory holiday in Ontario and BC (employment-holiday status differs across provinces).

Education and awareness dates

• October 5: World Teachers' Day
  A gentle prompt to thank faculty and staff.

Provincial reporting deadlines

British Columbia

• October 1:
  First graduation data submission for the 2026/2027 school year.
• October 9:
  Deadline for the September Student Data Collection (Form 1701).
• October 15:
  Grant enrolment report due from funded Group 1 and 2 schools, with audited Statement of Per Student Operating Costs (SOPSOC) due from Group 1 schools.

Employers of BC-certified teachers must report which certificate holders they employed during the previous reporting year.

For official forms and detailed guidelines, consult the Province of British Columbia Independent Schools Funding Portal.

• October 22:

Deadline to register students for the November 2026 Graduation Assessment session.

• October 30:
  Closing of fall data collection for K-12.
  

Holidays and religious observances

• November 8: Diwali
  The Festival of Lights, observed in Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and some Buddhist communities.
• November 24: Guru Nanak Gurpurab.
  One of the most important Sikh celebrations, it marks the birth of Guru Nanak. Gurdwaras in major cities host special prayer sessions to celebrate.

Education and awareness dates

• November 11: Remembrance Day
  Honours those who served and sacrificed their lives in war. It is a statutory holiday in BC, but not in Ontario, where schools usually hold ceremonies on the day.
• November 20: National Child Day
  Recognizes children's rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It's about celebrating children as active participants in their own lives and in their communities.

Holidays and religious observances

• December 4–12 (Fri–Sat): Hanukkah
  The eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights.
• December 25–26 (Fri–Sat): Christmas and Boxing Day
  Christmas Day is a statutory holiday across Canada, but Boxing Day depends on the province: e.g., it’s a statutory holiday in Ontario, but not BC. It also lands on a Saturday this year, so a substitute day may apply.

Education and awareness dates

• December 6: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
  Marks the 1989 École Polytechnique tragedy and calls for attention to gender-based violence.

Provincial reporting deadlines

Ontario

• December 1:
  Pre-inspection materials are due for new private schools seeking authority to offer OSSD credit courses beginning in February 2027.

British Columbia

• December 30:
  Deadline to register students for the January 2027 Graduation Assessment session.
  

Holidays and religious observances

• January 1, New Year's Day
  A statutory holiday across Canada.

Education and awareness dates

• January 29: National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia
  Observed federally, it’s a day honouring victims of the 2017 attack.
  

Holidays and religious observances

• February 6: Lunar New Year
  The Year of the Goat begins, and many families celebrate for several days.
• February 8 (estimated): Ramadan
  The Muslim month of fasting, prayer, and reflection. The exact date may vary with moon sightings.
• February 15: Family Day
  Not a federal holiday, though Canada does mark February 15 as National Flag of Canada Day. Many provinces observe the third Monday in February under different names, and in both Ontario and BC, Family Day is a statutory holiday.

Education and awareness dates

• February 24: Pink Shirt Day
  An anti-bullying initiative encouraging kindness, respect, and inclusion.

Provincial reporting deadlines

British Columbia

• February 2027 (exact date not yet published)
  Mid-year student count (Form 1701) due date, with an additional enrolment reporting deadline for funded Group 1 and 2 schools offering applicable online learning programmes.

Holidays and religious observances

• March 9–10 (estimated): Eid al-Fitr
  Marks the end of Ramadan. Families may observe additional days, and exact dates depend on the lunar calendar.
• March 26–29: Easter weekend
  Good Friday falls on March 26, Easter Sunday on March 28, and Easter Monday on March 29.

Good Friday is a statutory holiday in both Ontario and BC, but Easter Monday isn’t in either province. It is, however, marked as a holiday on the Ontario Ministry of Education school year calendar, so many Ontario schools are closed.

Holidays and religious observances

• April 14: Vaisakhi
  A major Sikh and Punjabi harvest festival. Large Vaisakhi parades often take place both in BC and in the Greater Toronto Area.
• April 21–29: Passover
  A Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites' liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. Observant families follow specific dietary rules, which may affect school meals and activities.

Education and awareness dates

• April 14: International Day of Pink
  A global anti-bullying and anti-discrimination effort dedicated to stopping homophobia, transphobia, and transmisogyny.

Provincial reporting deadlines

British Columbia

• April 1:
  Deadline to register students for the April 2027 Graduation Assessment session.

Holidays and religious observances

• May 24: Victoria Day
  A statutory holiday in both Ontario and BC. It’s widely observed across Canada, but its exact legal status varies by province and territory.

Education and awareness dates

• May 3-9: Mental Health Week
  Led by the Canadian Mental Health Association, it’s an initiative promoting mental health awareness and support.

Provincial reporting deadlines

Ontario

• May 1:
  Pre-inspection materials due for new private schools seeking authority to offer OSSD credit courses beginning in July.

British Columbia

• May 15:
  Schools employing BC-certified teachers must send the annual teaching practice fees deducted from their employees' pay to the Ministry.

You can find more information on the teaching practice fee here.

• May 27:
  Deadline to register students for the June 2027 Graduation Assessment session through EDX Graduation. All students taking these assessments must be registered in advance.
• May 31:
  Funded Group 1 and 2 schools offering eligible online learning programmes must submit an additional enrolment report for provincial grant funding.

Holidays and religious observances

• June 1: Ontario Day
  Recognized in Ontario schools (an instructional day under the province's public-school calendar).

Education and awareness dates

• May 30–June 5: National Accessibility Week
  Recognizes the contributions of people with disabilities; promotes accessibility and inclusion.

• June 21: National Indigenous Peoples Day
  Falls within National Indigenous History Month observed in June.
• June 27: Canadian Multiculturalism Day
  Recognizes Canada's cultural diversity and the contributions of its many communities.

Provincial reporting deadlines

Ontario

• June:
  The annual Notice of Intention to Operate for the following school year becomes available to existing private schools through OnSIS.

Confirm the exact date on the official Ontario Ministry of Education website.

British Columbia

• June 15:
  Group 1 and 2 independent schools must submit an audited report confirming the number of students eligible for provincial funding as of May 15.

Holidays and religious observances

• July 1: Canada Day
  An official national holiday of Canada and a statutory holiday commemorating Confederation.

Provincial reporting deadlines

British Columbia

• July 1:
  Annual Student Safety in Boarding Schools Report due from independent schools offering boarding.
• July 16:
  Final deadline to submit graduation marks through EDX Graduation. Schools should aim to submit by July 10. Later submissions will still be processed, but students may miss important deadlines.

Holidays and religious observances

• August 2: Civic Holiday/British Columbia Day
  Widely observed across Canada, including Ontario, though not a provincial statutory holiday in most provinces. In BC, it’s known as British Columbia Day and is an official paid public holiday.

Provincial reporting deadlines

British Columbia

• August:

Schools with graduating students should verify final student records for provincial scholarship eligibility and confirm the current ministry reporting timetable.

What to Add to Your 2026/2027 Independent School Calendar

There’s no single school calendar that fits every school in the Canadian education system.

Independent schools set their own term dates, breaks, and professional development days, so yours may look quite different from the local public board’s. Many CAIS (Canadian Accredited Independent Schools) member schools also add extra midterm breaks, or a welcoming period for boarding students.

This guide covers the dates most schools share. Individual schools should fill in the rest that’s unique to them: term dates, exams and graduation, orientation, and school events. Reporting deadlines depend on where you are, so confirm yours with your provincial education authority.

And before you share the final calendar with staff and parents, make sure all dates are confirmed and reflected on your school's official website or parent portal.