Ontario school breaks for the 2027/28 year
Published October 5, 2026 · HolidayWow editors · Written with AI, numbers checked against our data ·
Ontario students get two main breaks in the 2027/28 school year: Christmas break from December 18, 2027 to January 2, 2028, and March break from March 11 to 19, 2028, both set by the province's official school calendar.
- Christmas / winter break
- Sat, Dec 18 to Sun, Jan 2
- March break
- Sat, Mar 11 to Sun, Mar 19
Both breaks, a year ahead
The 2027/28 Ontario school calendar closes classes for Christmas break on December 18, 2027 and reopens on January 2, 2028, a stretch that trims a couple of days off the previous year's window since the holiday falls differently against the weekend. March break follows from March 11 to March 19, 2028.
OntarioiPhoto: Crisco 1492 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe CA-ON official school calendar is the source for both dates, checked here on October 1, 2026. A particular board's exact last or first day of class can land a day either side of this span, but it is the window worth building a trip plan around.
Having both confirmed this far out gives Ontario families roughly a year and a half of runway to compare destinations before either break arrives, longer than most of the country gets, and long enough that a search for a destination this early is as much about comparing options as locking anything in.
OntarioiPhoto: Crisco 1492 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSaint Lucia for a close match to March break
Saint Lucia in November shows 29°C days and 28°C nights with 8 sun hours and 20 rain days, not an exact match for March itself but close enough in season to give a strong sense of year-round warmth for a Caribbean trip planned around either break.
Caribbean
BelizeiPhoto: Denis Barthel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBelize runs drier in April, 32°C by day and 22°C at night with 8 sun hours and just 7 rain days, a useful alternative for a family that wants warmth without as much rain in the forecast.
CaribbeanBelizeiPhoto: Denis Barthel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsStaying inside Canada for either break
Prince Edward Island in September reads 18°C by day and 14°C at night, with a 16°C sea, 6 sun hours and 12 rain days, a shoulder-season domestic option worth knowing even if it sits outside both break windows.
CanadaiPhoto: Wilfredor · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Prince Edward IslandiPhoto: Gordon Leggett · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTofino in June shows 15°C by day and 10°C at night with a 13°C sea and 13 rain days, a cooler, coastal trip entirely different in character from a Caribbean beach week, useful for a household weighing a shorter domestic trip during March break.
CanadaiPhoto: Wilfredor · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsPrince Edward IslandiPhoto: Gordon Leggett · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAll school break dates 2027/28: Ontario
| Break | From | To | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas / winter break | Sat, Dec 18 | Sun, Jan 22028 | 16 |
| March break | Sat, Mar 112028 | Sun, Mar 192028 | 9 |
Source: CA-ON official school calendar. Individual schools may add their own days off.
School break calendar 2028
- Holiday
- Vacation day in a long weekend
- Weekend
- School breaks
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Further destinations for a longer trip
Dubai in August reaches an intense 35°C by day and 33°C at night with a 33°C sea and just 1 rain day, numbers that explain why many families looking at Dubai shift their trip toward the cooler months instead.
DubaiiPhoto: Norlando Pobre · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
New ZealandNew Zealand in January shows 20°C days and 15°C nights with 9 sun hours and 8 rain days, a mild southern-hemisphere summer that suits a longer trip built around Christmas break rather than a shorter one.
None of these months lines up exactly with either break, so treat the figures as a guide to each destination's character across the year; the plan shows live weather for your actual dates once they are added.
DubaiiPhoto: Norlando Pobre · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNew ZealandDeciding which break gets the bigger trip
Most households do not treat Christmas break and March break the same way: the first often stays close to home around the holiday itself, while the second is more likely to become the year's main trip. Checking the Long Weekend planner against both windows, using official holiday data, shows which one has more room to stretch once a handful of leave days are added.
A line such as a week in Belize with the kids over March break is read by the planner directly, with the destination, the timing and the group pulled straight out of the sentence rather than filled in field by field.
Planning once the dates are set
Once a break is chosen, the plan itself starts from one sentence or a spoken description naming the destination, the number of travellers and the pace. Every day is drawn as a route on the map with each stop pinned and each leg's travel time shown, so the shape of the trip is visible before a single stay is booked.
Three pace settings, relaxed, balanced and packed, cover a slow Christmas break at the cottage through to a fuller, activity-led March break abroad, and either can be set for the whole trip or changed day by day.
What the budget looks like before you book
Every stay, tour and transfer in the plan carries a live partner price from Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Viator or Trip.com, or a check live price button where a live figure is unavailable at that moment, so nobody in the household is working from a guess.
Price watch flags a change on a booked stay or tour, and cost splitting turns a shared villa over March break or a multi-family Christmas trip into one clear number per household rather than one parent covering everything up front.
Start planning the break
With both windows confirmed for 2027/28, the next step is naming a place, or a few, and letting the plan take shape on the map, starting from a month alone if the exact dates are still undecided.
Ontario school breaks for the 2027/28 year: frequently asked questions
When is Christmas break in Ontario for 2027/28?
Ontario's Christmas break for the 2027/28 school year runs from December 18, 2027 to January 2, 2028, according to the official provincial school calendar.
When is March break in Ontario in 2028?
March break in Ontario runs from March 11 to March 19, 2028, set by the CA-ON official school calendar and confirmed as of October 1, 2026.
Do all Ontario boards use the same break dates?
The provincial calendar sets the window boards work within; most follow it closely, though a specific board's first or last day of class can land a day either side of the dates shown here.
Is Dubai a realistic pick for Ontario's March break?
Dubai in August runs an intense 35°C by day, so many families looking at it shift the trip toward cooler months instead; the plan shows live weather for whichever dates you choose.
How can I turn either break into a longer trip?
Add a few leave days either side of the break and run them through the Long Weekend planner, which lines up Canada's statutory holidays with your dates to find the longest trip for the fewest days off work.
Can the planner handle a trip that starts during Christmas break and runs into the new year?
Yes. A trip is built day by day regardless of which calendar year the days fall in, with weather, pace and bookings carried through the full span once dates are added.
Is HolidayWow free to use for planning a school break trip?
The app is free to download and free to plan with; the live partner prices for stays, tours and flights are what you pay when you choose to book.
