Schools across Greece will reopen on Friday, Sept. 11, according to the Ministry of Education, marking the start of the 2026-27 academic year.
The first day will include the traditional blessing ceremony, known as ‘agiasmos’, held at schools across the country. Students will attend the ceremony before receiving information from teachers and school administrators about the new academic year.
Students will also receive their school textbooks and initial instructions for the start of classes.
Each school will announce its specific arrival and ceremony times separately in early September.
Classes to begin Sept. 14
Regular classes are expected to begin on Monday, Sept. 14.
The Ministry of Education is working to fill vacant teaching positions through the recruitment of substitute teachers, with the aim of ensuring that schools begin the year without staffing shortages.
Teachers will return earlier, starting Sept. 1, to prepare their schools and organize operations for the new academic year.
School holidays and breaks
The 2026-27 school year will include the following holidays and breaks:
- Oct. 28, 2026: National holiday, with school events marking the anniversary.
- Nov. 17, 2026: Polytechnic anniversary, commemorating the 1973 student uprising against Greece’s military dictatorship.
- Christmas break: Dec. 24, 2026, through Jan. 7, 2027. Classes resume Jan. 8.
- Jan. 30, 2027: Feast of the Three Hierarchs. It falls on a Saturday this year.
- March 15, 2027: Clean Monday, the traditional start of the Greek Orthodox Lenten period.
- March 25, 2027: Greek national holiday.
- Easter break: April 26 through May 9, 2027. Classes resume May 10.
- May 1, 2027: Labor Day, which coincides with Holy Saturday and is expected to be transferred to another date.
- June 21, 2027: Holy Spirit Monday, by which time most schools are expected to have already completed the academic year.
The school calendar could also be affected by national elections, which are currently expected to take place in spring 2027.
